CELL  INTELLIGENCE 


the  Cause  of  Growth,  Heredity  and  Instinctive  Actions, 

Illustrating  that  the  Cell  is  a  Conscious,  Intelligent 

Being,  and,  by  Reason  Thereof,  Plans  and  Builds 

all  Plants  and  Animals  in  the  Same  Manner 

that  Man  Constructs  Houses,  Railroads 

and  Other  Structures. 


NELS    QUEVLI 
REG.  PHAR.,  LL.  B. 


THE   COLWELL    PRESS 

MINNEAPOLIS,     MINN. 


COPYRIGHT  1916 
BY 

NELS  QUEVLI 


CONTENTS. 

Chapter  1   Introductory 

Chapter  2 What  Is  Life? 

Chapter  3 The  Cell 

Chapter  4 The  Living  Structures 

Chapter  5 What  Is  Intelligence  ? 

Chapter  6 Intelligence  of  the  Cell 

Chapter  7 Cause  of  Heredity 

Chapter  8 

Cause  of  Instinctive,  Emotional  and  Reflex  Action 

Chapter  9 Cause  of  Evolution  and  Growth 

Chapter  10 : : Conclusions 


This  Book 
is  lovingly  dedicated  to 

my  wife 
Anna  MaGuire  Quevli 


PREFACE 

The  purpose  of  this  book  is  to  introduce  you  to  your 
maker,  the  Cell,  to  get  you  better  acquainted  with  him 
and  to  let  you  know  that  he  is  an  intelligent  being  and 
very  likely  more  so  than  yourself. 

The  proposition  that  the  cell  is  your  maker  or  builder, 
that  he  is  the  cause  of  and  builder  of  all  plants  and 
animals  and  that  he  is  a  conscious  and  intelligent  being 
is  a  broad  and  sweeping  statement.  I  do  not  think  it 
has  ever  been  made  before  in  the  history  of  the  world. 
This  proposition  will  no  doubt  be  hotly  contested  by 
those  institutions  who  may  think  that  they  will  be 
financially  affected  by  these  facts  becoming  general 
knowledge. 

Someone  said  that  "The  greatest  study  of  mankind  is 
man."  I  would  say,  the  greatest  study  of  mankind  is 
his  maker,  the  Cell.  This  book  will  explain  to  the 
reader  the  cause  of  evolution,  or  growth,  heredity  and 
instinctive  action  in  plants  and  animals.  It  will  show 
that  all  plants  and  animals  are  built  and  produced  by  the 
microscopic  beings  we  call  cells.  It  will  show  that  in 
their  place  in  life  they  exercise  the  same  intelligence  in 
reference  to  their  work  as  we  do  in  ours  and  by  reason 
of  their  intelligence,  they  are  able  to  build  a  plant,  a 
tree,  an  insect,  animal  or  man,  the  same  as  we  are  able  to 
build  a  house,  automobile,  ship  or  railroad.  I  propose  to 
show  by  this  book  that  although  microscopic  in  size,  the 

26035 


PREFACE 

cells  are  no  less  intelligent  than  we  are.  It  will  show 
that  the  cell  knows  how  to  multiply  and  organize  his 
offspring  into  the  vast  co-operative  colony  we  call  plant 
or  animal.  Why  should  the  builder  and  organizer  of  a 
large  colony  or  army  be  less  intelligent  than  the  army? 
In  other  words,  why  should  you  be  more  intelligent  than 
your  maker?  This  book  will  explain  the  problems: 

1st — Why  will  an  acorn  grow  into  an  oak? 

2nd — Why  will  it  grow  into  an  oak  and  not  into  a 
maple? 

3rd — How  can  a  bird  raised  in  captivity  build  a  nest 
like  its  parent  when  it  has  never  seen  a  nest  before  nor 
ever  seen  its  parents? 

This  book  necessarily  covers  a  wide  field  of  knowledge 
from  the  fact  that  it  attempts  to  show  a  conscious  intel- 
lect in  the  cell  similar  to  our  own.  In  this  inquiry  it  was 
necessary  to  investigate  biology  in  all  its  branches,  viz : 
embryology,  heredity,  psychology,  physiology,  anatomy, 
zoology,  botany,  and  also  chemistry  and  physics  to  a 
certain  extent.  The  cell  being  the  cause  of  all  living 
structures,  it  was  necessary  to  investigate  his  activities 
in  all  places.  The  plants  and  animals  are  cell  colonies 
and  are  produced  and  maintained  by  them  for  their  own 
selfish  purpose.  While  I  have  tried  to  make  the  work  as 
scientifically  accurate  as  possible,  I  have  also  tried  to 
avoid  all  technical  words  and  phrases,  so  that  the  average 
man  could  understand  it. 

While  the  opinions  set  forth  in  this  book  are  based  on 
my  own  investigations,  I  have  also  given  extracts  very 
liberally  from  others,  so  that  the  reader  can  better  judge 
for  himself  on  disputed  points.  I  have  introduced  a  large 
number  of  illustrations  in  order  to  make  it  clear,  to  sim- 
plify, and  to  save  time  for  the  reader.  I  have  not  over- 
looked the  great  difficulty  with  which  I  shall  meet  in 


order  to  be  able  to  get  this  book  before  the  attention  of 
the  average  man,  as  I  shall  probably  be  attacked  by  all 
institutions  who  may  think  they  will  be  injured  in  their 
business.  All  colleges  controlled,  (and  it  seems  that  a 
large  number  of  them  are  so  more  or  less)  will  join  with 
others  in  criticizing  this  book.  No  other  branch  of 
science  has  been  so  willfully  obscured  and  mystified  as 
the  subject  of  life  and  especially  the  life  of  the  cell.  Even 
today  if  you  try  to  discuss  or  explain  the  cause  of  a  seed 
growing  into  a  tree  to  the  average  so  called  educated 
man,  he  will  only  answer  with  an  incredulous  smile.  He 
seems  to  know  little  or  nothing  of  the  life  of  the  cell, 
which  so  vitally  concerns  the  health  and  happiness  of 
every  person.  I  can  only  account  for  this  condition  of 
things  by  the  willful  suppression  of  the  truth  by  the 
controlled  institutions  of  learning.  Such  men  as  Chas. 
Darwin  and  Ernest  Haeckel  have  done  as  much  towards 
the  advancement  of  human  knowledge  and  progress  as 
any  two  persons  that  have  ever  lived. 

Health  is  impossible  without  a  clear  understanding  of 
life  and  without  health,  a  happy  life  is  impossible.  For 
that  reason  I  consider  those  two  great  students  of  life 
among  the  greatest  benefactors  of  mankind. 

Dated,  March  1915.  NELS  QUEVLI. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Figure 

1.  Diagram  of  Cell. 

2.  Amoeba. 

3.  The  Cell. 

4.  Diagram  of  Cell  in  Divi- 

sion. 

5.  Diagram  of  Cell  in  Divi- 

sion. 

6.  The  Centrosome. 

7.  Structure  of  Centrosome. 

8.  Spermatozoon. 

9.  Primitive    Eggs   of   Ani- 

mals. 
(0.     Epithelial  Cells. 

11.  Blood  Cells. 

12.  Microgromia  Socialis. 

13.  Portugese    Man-of-War. 

14.  Star  Fish. 

15.  Antedon. 

16.  Shell     of     Triton     Nodi- 

ferus. 

17.  Cuttle  Fish. 

18.  Coffer  Fish. 

19.  Torpedo  Ray. 

20.  Lantern  Fish. 

21.  Lure  Fish. 

22.  Skeleton  of  Turtle. 

23.  Submarine  made  by  the 

Cell. 

24.  Submarine  made  by  Man. 

25.  The  Zebra. 

26.  Skeleton    of    Tyranosau- 


Figure 

27.  Plants   that   commit   At- 

rocities. 

28.  Bird   made   by   the   Cell. 

29.  Bird  made  by  Man. 

30.  Embryos    in    Three 

Stages. 

31.  Embryos    in    Three 

Stages. 

32.  Tadpole  and  Frog. 

33.  Venus  Fly  Trap. 

34.  Seeds  of  Dandelion. 

35.  Seeds  of  Beggar  Tick. 

36.  California  Pitcher  Plant. 

37.  Leaf  of  Nepenthis. 

38.  Venus  Fly  Trap  with  In- 

sect. 

39.  Skeleton     of     Man     and 

Apes. 

40.  Segmentation    of   Ovum. 

41.  Diagram  of  Cell. 

42.  The  Cell  in  Division. 

43.  Seed  Cells  of  Animals. 

44.  The  Ants. 

45.  The  Birth  of  Man. 

46.  Noctiluca  Nulearis. 

47.  Butterfly  of  Sumatra. 

48.  Persian  Devil  Plant. 

49.  Caterpillar. 

50.  Leaf  Hoppers. 

51.  Wild  Boar. 

52.  Man  and  Monkeys. 

53.  Beginning     of     Civiliza- 

tion. 


NELS  QUEVLI 


Cell  Intelligence  the  Cause  of  Evolution 


CHAPTER  I. 
INTRODUCTORY. 

The  purpose  of  this  book  is  to  clear  up  some  of  the 
mysteries  of  life,  such  as  the  cause  of  growth,  evolution, 
heredity,  instinctive,  impulsive  and  reflex  actions  in  man, 
animals,  and  plants.  No  one  seems  to  understand  or 
comprehend  their  real  cause.  Why  and  how  does  a 
certain  seed  grow  into  a  weed  or  grass  and  not  into  a 
tree?  Why  do  the  young  of  animals,  including  man, 
look  and  act  like  their  parents?  Why  does  a  kernel  of 
corn  develop  into  a  corn  stalk  when  placed  in  the  ground 
and  not  into  a  sunflower?  How  can  a  bird  raised  in 
captivity,  who  has  never  seen  its  parents  nor  ever  seen 
a  nest  of  any  kind,  build  a  nest  just  like  that  of  its  par- 
ents? It  knows  how  just  as  if  it  had  been  fully  trained 
to  do  so,  although  it  has  not  had  the  slightest  experience. 
People  do  not  seem  to  know,  and  call  it  instinct.  I  have 
read  everything  that  I  can  find  on  the  subject  and  writers 
all  seem  to  consider  it  a  mystery.  Now  as  it  is  no  longer 
any  mystery  to  me,  I  feel  as  though  it  might  be  my  duty 
to  write  this  book  and  give  my  opinion  of  it  for  whatever 
it  is  worth. 


2       CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

The  textbooks  of  science  have  become  very  complex 
and  technical  and  very  numerous,  so  much  so  that  a 
person  in  the  ordinary  busy  life  has  not  the  time  nor 
inclination  to  attempt  to  read  up  and  study  them  so  as 
to  understand  the  great  questions  of  life.  The  broad 
realm  of  science  has  been  greatly  extended  in  the  19th 
century.  A  great  number  of  branches  have  been. estab- 
lished by  reason  of  research  in  different  directions.  This 
enormous  expansion  of  the  field  of  knowledge  has  led  to 
a  narrow  specialism  in  many  small  sections.  The  exten- 
sive division  of  labor  has  prevented  a  comprehensive 
consideration  of  life  as  a  whole.  Each  man  has  kept  his 
mind  on  his  little  separate  proposition  and  invented  a  lot 
of  terms,  words  and  phrases,  which  he  has  used  in  his 
little  one  sided  work.  This  has  caused  a  great  deal  of 
confusion  and  misunderstanding.  One  of  the  greatest 
scientists  in  Germany,  Ernest  Haeckel,  states :  "The  vast 
structure  of  science  tends  more  and  more  to  become  a 
tower  of  Babel  in  the  labyrinthic  passages  of  which  few 
are  at  their  ease  and  few  any  longer  understand  the  lan- 
guage of  other  workers."  This  statement  certainly  is 
true  and  that  is  one  of  the  main  reasons  why  this  book 
is  written. 

There  is  no  reason  why  a  majority  of  the  people  should 
spend  their  lifetime  upon  this  planet  and  know  nothing 
or  little  about  this  interesting  question  of  life  and  what 
it  is.  In  this  book  I  will  try  to  explain  my  ideas  in  the 
very  simplest  language  possible.  The  language  used  in 
almost  all  the  text  books  is  too  technical  and  beyond  the 
reach  of  ordinary  readers.  For  instance — to  give  the 
reader  an  idea  of  what  the  subject  of  life  includes,  and 
what  I  have  been  reading,  I  shall  outline  a  few  subjects. 

First— This  whole  subject  of  life  is  called  biology. 
This  includes  protistology  or  the  science  of  single  cells ; 


INTRODUCTORY  3 

botany,  the  science  of  plants ;  zoology,  the  science  of 
animals ;  anthropology,  the  science  of  man ;  morphology, 
the  science  of  forms ;  physiology,  the  science  of  functions  ; 
anatomy,  the  science  of  structure ;  biogeny,  the  science 
of  development ;  aecology,  the  physiology  of  work ;  his- 
tology, the  science  of  tissues ;  organology,  the  science  of 
organs ;  blastology,  the  science  of  persons ;  and  cytology, 
karmology,  phylogeny,  palaentology,  geneology,  trophon- 
omy,  chorology,  ontogeny,  sensonomy,  psychology, 
chemistry  and  physics.  However,  after  reading  these 
subjects,  you  have  a  lot  of  theories  about  metaphysics, 
mechanism,  hylozoism,  dynamism,  idealism,  materialism, 
hedonism,  monism,  dualism,  vitalism,  gases  and  fluids, 
statics,  dynamics,  acoustics,  gravitation,  electricity,  and  a 
great  number  of  others  too  numerous  to  mention. 

Now  it  is  clear  that  the  busy  man  of  today  cannot  afford 
to  read  up  on  all  these  subjects  and  theories,  even  if  he 
understood  the  language  used,  as  it  would  take  up  half 
of  his  life  time  to  do  so.  After  reading  up  on  these  sub- 
jects, I  do  not  agree  with  any  of  them  as  to  the  cause  of 
growth,  evolution  and  development  of  life,  heredity,  in- 
stinctive and  reflex  action,  and  that  is  why  I  have  written 
this  book. 

After  I  have  stated  what  my  opinion  and  ideas  are  on 
these  subjects,  the  reader  must  not  stop  and  say  to  him- 
self,— "Why,  that  proposition  is  ridiculous,  I  do  not  be- 
lieve it,"  but  he  must  go  on  and  read  the  whole  book,  as 
this  is  a  big  subject  and  no  one  can  understand  it  so  as 
to  form  an  opinion  without  reading  every  chapter  of  this 
book.  For  thousands  of  years  we  thought  the  sun 
coursed  around  the  earth ;  it  was  a  bold  theory  to  bring 
the  sun  to  a  standstill  and  set  the  earth  m  motion.  We 
remember  how  poor  Galileo  had  to  suffer  inprisonment 
for  supporting  this  theory,  which  had  been  proven  sev- 


4      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

enty  years  previously  by  Copernicus.  The  astronomers 
were  able  to  bring  forward  so  many  facts  to  support  this 
theory  that  its  truth  was  finally  forced  upon  every  think- 
ing person. 

The  main  fact  I  propose  to  prove  by  this  book  is  that 
the  cell  is  an  intelligent  being  like  ourselves.  I  have 
stated  my  proposition  and  it  is  now  up  to  me  to  prove  it. 
The  proposition  that  the  being  we  call  cell  is  an  intelli- 
gent being,  includes  also  that  he  is  so  in  every  sense  of 
the  term,  that  he  is  conscious,  has  a  memory,  will  and 
judgment,  just  as  we  have.  He  reasons  and  profits  by 
experience,  just  as  we  do.  By  virtue  of  his  power  of 
memory  and  experience  had  in  our  bodies  and  thousands 
before  ours,  he  knows  how  to  build  others  like  them. 

Before  I  go  any  further  I  must  quote  a  few  pages  from 
a  physiology  now  used  in  the  high  schools  and  which 
most  of  you  have  studied,  so  as  to  fully  remind  you  of 
what  is  known  of  this  important  individual  we  call 
cell;  that  is,  that  he  is  an  independent  living  being;  that 
he  also  lives  a  separate  life,  just  as  we  do;  that  he  has 
the  power  of  growth,  self-repair  and  increase  in  numbers  ; 
and  that  he  requires  food,  air,  water,  and  shelter,  just 
as  we  do.  Here  is  what  our  physiology  has  to  say  about 
the  life  of  the  cell :  "There  are  certain  great  differences 
between  this  unit  of  living  matter  and  an  unliving  thing. 
Three  distinguishing  qualities  belong  to  the  living  cell. 
(1)  growth;  (2)  self  repair;  (3)  increase  in  numbers 
through  self  division.  These  powers  are  possessed  by 
no  other  material  in  the  world  save  protoplasm. 

"The  growth  of  a  cell  is  in  all  cases  brought  about  by 
material  taken  in  from  the  outside.  In  the  human  body 
this  material  is  food,  which  after  digestion  passes  into 
the  blood,  and  is  then  taken  in  by  the  cells.  This  pro- 
cess will  be  described  more  fully  later.  In  some  of  the 


INTRODUCTORY 


very  lowest  organisms  where  the  whole  animal  is  a  single 
cell,  solid  particles  may  be  taken  into  the  cell  through 
definite  openings  or  "mouths."  In  others,  the  cell  may 
change  its  shape  so  as  to  wrap  itself  about  the  particle 
to  be  taken  in.  But  even  in  these  instances,  the  particles 
must  be  dissolved  or  digested  before  they  can  be  built  up 
into  the  protoplasm  of  the  cell. 

"At  the  beginning  of  its  life,  the  animal  consists  of  a 
single  cell  only,  an  egg,  but  as  it  grows  the  number  of 
cells  increase.  When  a  child  grows  to  manhood  his 
increase  in  size  is  not  due  to  growth  of  the  individual 
cells  making  up  his  body  but  to  the  increase  in  their 
number.  The  cells  of  the  adult  are  not  larger  than  those 
of  the  child  but  more  numerous.  This  multiplication  is 
the  result  of  repeated  division  of  the  original  cell  and  in 

this  process,  every  part  of  the  cell  divides 

Each  of  the  resulting  cells  immediately  commences  to 
grow  and  continues  until  it  becomes  as  large  as  the  one 
from  which  it  started,  then  it  divides  and  the  story  is 
repeated. 

"We  have  thus  seen  that  the  body  is  made  up  of  organs, 
that  the  organs  are  made  of  tissues  and  that  the  tissues 
are  made  of  cells.  Is  it  possible  to  carry  this  division 
further  or  is  the  cell  the  final  unit?  To  this  question 
we  must  reply  that  the  cell  is  the  final  unit.  It  is  true 
that  the  cell  has  parts,  cell  wall,  nucleus,  cell  substances, 
etc.,  but  no  one  of  them  can  live  by  itself,  while  a  com- 
plete cell  may  be  an  independent  body  and  live  an  inde- 
pendent life.  Although  our  own  bodies  are  composed  of 
many  millions  of  these  cells,  there  are  some  organisms 
made  up  of  one  cell  only — these  are  microscopic  and  are 
called  unicellular  animals  and  plants.  Although  very 

tiny,  each  lives  an  independent  life 

They  vary  in  shape  and  differ  in  structure.  Some  of 


6      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

them  have  "mouths" ;  others  simply  take  their  food  in  at 
any  part  of  the  body  by  allowing  their  protoplasm  to 
flow  around  it.  Some  of  them  have  organs  for  locomo- 
tion, others  do  not ;  some  have  shells,  while  others  have 
no  covering  at  all.  But  each  is  a  single  cell  and  each 
carries  out  its  own  life  process,  such  as  respiration,  secre- 
tion, multiplication,  etc.  The  cell  cannot  be  subdivided 
into  smaller  units  which  would  be  able  to  sustain  inde- 
pendent life 

"Sinc.e  such  cells  are  the  simplest  parts  into  which 
living  matter  can  be  divided,  we  may  call  them  "Units 
of  Life"  and  may  regard  our  bodies  as  a  combination  of 
a  large  number  of  such  units,  considering  the  life  of  the 
whole  body  as  the  sum  of  the  lives  of  its  different  cells. 
We  should  constantly  remember  that  it  is  really  the  cells 
which  are  the  active  living  parts.  The  combined  lives  of 
all  these  millions  of  cells  make  the  life  of  the  whole, 
much  as  the  combined  lives  of  the  persons  within  a  city 
make  up  its  life. 

"As  we  have  seen,  some  animals  are  composed  of  a 
single  cell.  But  this  cell  is  able  to  carry  on  all  the  func- 
tions of  life :  it  feeds,  digests,  respires,  moves,  multiplies 
and  performs  all  the  necessary  duties  of  complete,  in- 
dividual life.  In  our  own  bodies  there  are  many  cells, 
but  each  is  not  capable  of  carrying  on  all  the  functions  of 
life  and  if  separated  from  the  others,  would  die.  Each  is 
able  to  do  primarily  only  one  thing,  hence,  each  is  de- 
pendent upon  the  others. 

"It  may  be  asked,  why  we  should  have  so  many  kinds 
of  cells  in  our  bodies  and  why  with  us  too,  one  kind  of 
cell  could  not  serve  all  purposes.  The  answer  is  easy  to 
give.  A  hermit  can  himself  do  everything  needful  to 
support  his  life :  he  can  prepare  his  own  food,  make  his 
own  clothes  and  build  his  own  shelter,  but  he  can  do  this 


INTRODUCTORY  7 

only  because  he  lives  very  simply.  When  a  family  lives 
alone  on  the  frontier,  the  members  divide  the  work 
among  themselves;  the  husband  doing  the  work  out 
doors,  the  wife  that  indoors,  and  the  children  contributing 
their  different  shares.  When  several  million  come  to- 
gether, it  will  be  found  that  some  members  of  the  com- 
munity are  more  skillful  in  building  houses,  others  in 
making  shoes,  others  in  dressmaking,  still  others  in 
cooking,  etc.,  so  the  people  agree  to  divide  their  tasks 
and  share  the  results  of  their  work.  In  this  way  they 
may  have  better  houses,  better  shoes,  better  clothing  and 
better  food  than  before,  because  each  man  does  what  he 
can  do  best.  As  the  community  grows,  this  division  of 
labor  becomes  extended  until  in  a  large  city  each  person 
does  only  a  very  small  part  of  the  work  necessary  to  sup- 
ply him  with  the  things  he  needs.  But  he  can  do  his  own 
work  well  because  he  has  only  one  thing  to  do.  The  life 
of  a  city  is  of  much  higher  grade  than  that  of  a  pioneer 
family.  Its  population  has  many  more  luxuries  and 
accomplishes  much  more,  all  because  of  this  division  of 
labor.  So  it  is  among  organisms.  Where  one  cell  does 
everything,  the  life  is  simple  and  on  a  very  low  scale. 
Each  cell  can  feed  itself  and  perform  all  the  necessary 
functions,  but  the  whole  life  is  only  one  of  growth  and 
reproduction.  As  the  cells  become  more  abundant,  they 
also  become  alike.  Each  takes  upon  itself  certain  duties ; 
each  contributes  to  the  good  of  the  other  cells  and  each 

receives  aid  from  the  others The   life  of 

any  animal  is  the  sum  of  the  lives  of  its  cells,  and  with 
many  kinds  of  cells  all  working  together  for  a  common 
good,  a  higher  grade  of  activity  is  produced  than  with 
each  working  for  itself  alone.  Division  of  labor  goes 
hand  in  hand  with  a  rise  in  the  scale  of  accomplishment 
and  results  in  a  superior  type  of  life." 


g       CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

Ernest  Haeckel  states,  "Cells  are  grouped  together 
under  the  idea  of  sculptors  or  builders  because  they  alone 
in  reality  build  the  organisms." 

I  go  into  details  as  to  what  the  cell  is,  presuming  that 
the  reader  has  not  any  previous  knowledge  of  what  the 
cell  is  understood  to  be.  I  think  it  is  necessary  to  do  so 
in  order  to  make  a  scientific  subject  like  this  interesting 
to  the  reader  who  may  not  know  what  the  cell  is.  This 
you  will  see  makes  it  clear  that  this  animal  or  being  we 
call  cell  is  the  agent  who  builds  or  makes  the  things  we 
see  in  life,  which  we  call  plants  and  animals,  including 
man.  These  wonderful  beings  are  too  small  to  be  seen 
with  our  naked  eye.  They  live  separate  and  independent 
lives  in  both  fresh  and  salt  water.  Such  words  as  pro- 
tists,  copepods,  crustaceans,  protoplasm,  bacteria,  germs, 
leucocytes,  histons,  somatic  cells,  germ  cells  and  amoeba 
all  mean  the  same,  that  is,  they  are  cells.  It  is  admitted 
by  all  that  all  living  things,  plants  or  animals,  that  we 
see  are  produced  by  these  beings.  The  next  question 
then  is  this :  Do  they  do  so  by  reason  of  their  intelligence 
or  do  they  do  so  by  reason  of  some  chemical  force  or 
otherwise?  My  proposition  to  be  proven  by  this  book 
is  that  they  do  so  by  reason  of  their  intelligence  in  the 
same  manner  as  we  build  a  house  or  railroad.  We  are 
not  prepared  to  say  at  this  time  just  what  intelligence 
is  except  that  we  know  it  exists.  We  know  we  are  in- 
telligent and  are  guided  by  intelligence  in  our  acts. 
These  beings  when  they  live  separate  lives  in  the  water 
act  precisely  as  other  animals.  They  show,  I  believe,  by 
their  acts  the  same  intelligence  in  their  place  in  life  as 
we  do  in  ours. 

Looking  at  them  through  the  microscope,  Mr.  Binet 
states :  "If  a  drop  of  water  containing  Infusoria  be  placed 
under  the  microscope,  organisms  are  seen  swimming 


INTRODUCTORY  9 

rapidly  about  and  traversing-  the  liquid  medium  in  which 
they  are,  in  every  direction.  Their  movements  are  not 
simple;  the  Infusoria  guides  itself, while  swimming  about; 
it  avoids  obstacles ;  often  it  undertakes  to  force  them 
aside ;  its  movements  seem  to  be  designed  to  effect  an 
end,  which  in  most  instances  is  the  search  for  food ;  it 
approaches  certain  particles  suspended  in  the  liquid,  it 
feels  them  with  its  cilia,  it  goes  away  and  returns,  all  the 


AlTiatrionSpWv  enclosing  o  centiosoroft 


(NocWus 
C^omafm. 
Nutleus Actomoffm. 
[NudeaiMeni. 

VacuoU 

FIG.  I.— The  Cell 

while  describing  a  zig  zag  course  similar  to  the  paths  of 
captive  fish  in  the  aquariums;  this  latter  comparison 
naturally  occurs  to  the  mind.  In  short,  the  act  of  locomo- 
tion as  seen  in  detached  Infusoria  exhibits  all  the  marks 
of  voluntary  movement."  In  this  statement,  Mr.  Binet 
called  them  Infusoria.  This  animal  has  organs  and 
acts  precisely  in  the  same  manner  as  any  other  animal.  It 
feels  objects  to  decide  whether  they  are  good  for  food. 
It  has  a  will,  judgment  and  discretion,  just  as  we  have. 
It  can  decide  for  itself  whether  any  particular  substance 
is  fit  for  food.  It  can  exercise  discretion  in  the  matter  in 
the  same  way  that  we  do  in  hunting  for  something  to  eat. 
The  scientists  of  today  do  not  consider  the  cell  an 
intelligent  being.  They  claim  that  he  does  not  show 
anything  but  irritability.  This  word  has  caused  much 
confusion  and  is  practically  meaningless  as  far  as  I  can 


10      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

see.  No  one  seems  to  know  what  is  understood  by  this 
word.  Mr.  Binet  seems  to  be  also  of  the  same  opinion 
and  states :  "The  term  irritability,  which  though  long  in 
use  has  not  in  our  opinion  been  happily  chosen,  since  it 
is  in  the  highest  degree  ambiguous  and  not  suggestive  of 
an  exact  signification." 

The  little  fresh  water  cell  we  call  amoeba,  who  leads  a 
separate  independent  life,  is  so  very  similar  to  those  that 
build  animals  and  man  that  the  microscope  can  discover 
no  difference.  Mr.  Binet  described  his  actions  as  fol- 
lows :  "The  following  is  what  occurs  when  the  amoeba 
in  its  rampant  course  happens  to  meet  a  foreign  body. 
In  the  first  place,  if  the  foreign  particle  is  not  a  nutritive 
substance,  if  it  be  gravel  for  instance,  the  amoeba  does 
not  ingest  it ;  it  thrusts  it  back  with  its  pseudopodia. 
This  little  performance  is  very  significant ;  for  it  proves, 
as  we  have  already  said,  that  this  microscopic  cellule  in 
some  manner  or  other  knows  how  to  choose  and  distin- 
guish alimentary  substances  from  inert  particles  of  sand. 
If  the  foreign  substance  can  serve  as  nutriment,  the 
amoeba  engulfs  it  by  a  very  simple  process." 

You  will  see  from  this  that  his  actions  show  discre- 
tion. In  hunting  for  food  he  must  exercise  his  judgment 
at  all  times  as  to  where  he  is  going  and  as  to  whether 
this  or  that  is  suitable  for  food.  Such  action  of  choosing 
must  be  based  on  former  experience,  which  involves 
memory.  Again  here  is  what  Mr.  Binet  has  to  say  about 
the  actions  of  cells,  showing  how  they  act  when  living 
as  separate  beings  and  not  in  those  vast  co-operative 
colonies  we  call  plants  and  animals :  "The  Infusoria 
when  in  a  medium  abounding  in  food  are  almost  entirely 
sedentary  in  their  habits,  only  making  slight  changes  of 
position.  But  if  they  are  placed  in  a  medium  affording 
but  little  nutritive  material,  they  become  as  migratory 


INTRODUCTORY  11 

as  the  hunters  and  are  seen  to  race  about  in  all  directions, 
searching  for  more  abundant  nutriment.  It  is  hard  to 
find  a  more  perfect  illustration  of  the  influence  exerted 
by  the  condition  of  a  medium  upon  the  habits  and  cus- 
toms of  animals.  The  Patula  is  a  type  distinctively  car- 
nivorous and  possessed  of  an  extremely  voracious  appe- 
tite, a  fact  which  explains  its  power  of  multiplication,  one 

of  the  greatest  I  have  studied In  constant 

pursuit  of  its  prey,  it  seizes  its  victtim  by  the  two  stout 
vibratile  lips  with  which  its  mouth  is  armed  and  swallows 
them  alive  and  whole.  The  victims  may  be  seen  strug- 
gling and  tossing  about  for  a  time  in  the  interior  of  its 
body  and  afterwards  to  expire  slowly  under  the  action  of 
the  digestive  juices  of  the  vacuole  in  which  they  have 
been  inclosed." 

Notice  in  this  how  precisely  similar  the  actions  of  these 
cells  are  to  those  of  animals  and  human  beings.  They  lie 
around  and  do  nothing  towards  finding  food  as  long  as 
they  have  enough  to  eat,  but  lack  of  food  and  hunger 
stirs  them  to  activity.  The  actions  of  these  cells  con- 
stantly in  pursuit  of  their  prey  and  the  manner  of  eating 
and  digesting  their  victims  are  certainly  significant. 
They  go  to  show  that  the  animal  or  cell  has  the  mind  to 
know  what  he  wants  and  goes  after  it.  It  is  impossible 
to  conceive  of  any  living  being  moving  towards  an  object 
for  a  purpose  which  has  not  a  will  and  memory.  It  never 
can  be  shown  to  be  a  chemical  or  mechanical  act.  There 
must  be  in  the  mind  of  the  being  the  feeling  or  idea  of  a 
need  of  food  to  spur  him  to  action.  Chemical  force  and 
other  natural  forces  always  act  the  same  and  follow  fixed 
laws  regardless  of  any  condition  or  need.  All  scientists 
agree  that  matter  can  only  act  and  change  its  place  and 
form  according  to  fixed  laws.  Living  beings  act  accord- 
ing to  their  wants  and  needs.  They  are  masters  and  are 


12      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

able  to  direct  the  blind  forces  and  crude  matter  to  their 
own  purpose  and  use.  It  may  be  said  that  even  if  it  be 
proven  that  the  cause  of  evolution,  heredity  and  instinc- 
tive action  is  the  result  of  the  acts  of  the  cell  and  that 
his  acts  are  guided  by  intelligence,  can  you  explain  what 
intelligence  is?  That  question  may  not  be  satisfactorily 
explained  at  this  time ;  however,  we  all  can  form  a  fairly 
good  idea  of  what  it  is  from  our  own  experience.  After 
we  have  fully  proven  that  it  is  by  reason  of  his  intelli- 
gence that  the  cell  is  able  from  memory  and  experience 
to  build  the  different  structures  we  call  animals  and 
plants,  then  we  can  begin  to  push  further  investigations 
to  discover,  if  possible,  the  deeper  secrets  of  the  inner 
life  of  the  cell. 

It  is  a  rule  of  science  and  philosophy  that  we  should 
investigate  a  proposition  as  far  as  we  can  and  when  we 
can  go  no  further  to  stop  and  admit  it.  No  one  will  deny 
that  there  is  such  a  force  as  electricity.  We  can  see  and 
feel  its  effects,  but  as  yet  no  one  is  able  to  say  just  what 
it  is  although  some  very  good  theories  have  recently 
been  advanced.  It  is  the  same  with  this  property  we  call 
intelligence,  that  guides  us  in  life.  We  know  about  what 
it  is  by  the  way  it  guides  our  actions.  It  is  enough  to 
know  for  the  purpose  of  this  discussion,  that  it  does 
exist. 

There  are  two  main  theories  by  which  the  growth  and 
development  of  plants  and  animals  in  life  are  explained : 
First,  chemical  and  mechanical  forces;  second,  Intelli- 
gence or  a  Divine  Being.  However,  so  far  no  one  has 
yet  ventured  the  proposition  or  statement  that  the  in- 
telligence that  has  caused  the  production  of  all  these 
structures  we  see,  such  as  plants  and  animals,  was  the 
property  of  the  cell.  Some  call  it  God's  will  in  the  uni- 
verse or  Divine  Wisdom.  Some  call  it  intelligent  force 


INTRODUCTORY  13 

or  vital  force.  They  see  a  purpose  and  design  in  nature 
which  seems  to  prove  to  them  conclusively  that  it  is 
guided  by  intelligence,  and  sometimes  it  is  used  to  prove 
God's  existence  in  the  universe  or  a  Divine  Will  or  the 
will  of  some  other  intelligent  force  in  the  universe.  The 
other  side  attempts  to  explain  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment in  life  from  chemical,  mechanical  and  natural  forces. 
Now  whatever  you  wish  to  call  it,  not  one  can  deny  that 
whoever  the  being  is  who  is  able  to  effect  the  construc- 
tion of  such  stationary  structures  as  trees  and  plants  and 
movable  objects  as  animals,  must  be  possessed  of  a  very 
high  degree  of  intelligence.  They  are  structures  that 
present  themselves  to  us  with  all  the  characteristics  of  a 
work  of  art.  It  stands  practically  admitted,  that  the  cell 
is  able  to  produce  all  these  structures,  partly  of  himself 
and  partly  from  the  crude  elements  of  earth,  air  and 
water.  We  will  see  later  when  we  get  to  it  that  he 
gathers  the  materials  with  which  he  is  able  to  effect  these 
constructions  in  the  same  manner  as  we  do.  That  in 
order  to  be  able  to  manufacture  the  different  materials 
that  are  needed  to  do  this,  he  takes  advantage  of  heat, 
light,  electricity  and  chemical  actions  in  exactly  the  same 
manner  that  we  do  except,  of  course,  on  a  much  smaller 
scale.  You  know  that  so  far  we  have  not  been  able  to 
find  anything  in  crude  matter  and  the  blind  forces  of 
nature  indicating  any  intelligence.  Nothing  is  found 
indicating  any  power  to  produce  a  work  of  art.  It  has 
now  been  conclusively  shown  that  the  cell  is  not  a  simple 
organism  but  a  very  highly  organized  animal  or  being, 
which  is  made  up  of  still  smaller  beings.  For  convenience 
in  the  discussion  of  this  question,  we  shall  call  this  being 
the  primordial  cell.  It  begins  to  look  as  if  these  prim- 
ordial cells  or  beings  of  which  the  cell  is  composed  are  of 
that  microscopic  size  that  they  may  be  able  to  handle 


14     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

the  molecules  and  atoms  of  matter  and  direct  thei 
actions  and  motions  in  the  same  manner  as  we  are  able 
to  handle  brick,  stone,  and  larger  particles  of  building 
material.  We  will  see  later  that  these  primordial  cells 
possess  intelligence ;  at  least,  their  actions  in  the  cell  so 
indicate.  You  see,  we  are  getting  down  to  the  question : 
Does  intelligence  exist  in  the  atoms  and  molecules  of  mat- 
ter or  is  it  a  separate  thing  from  matter  existing  in  the 
universe?  Is  it  invisible  force  separate  from  matter  sim- 
ilar to  the  force  of  electricity  or  magnetism?  These  are 
questions  to  be  settled  by  the  scientists  in  the  future.  The 
only  purpose  of  this  book  is  to  show  that  the  cause  of 
plants  and  animals,  as  we  see  them,  is  intelligence  in  the 
cell.  He  is  the  being  who  does  the  work  of  building  and 
constructing  all  these  living  things,  and  he  is  able  to  do  so 
by  reason  of  the  fact  that  he  is  an  intelligent  being  like 
ourselves.  We  are  quite  conscious  that  there  is  a  very 
great  deal  concerning  which  we  know  little  or  nothing. 
For  instance — we  have  practically  no  idea  of  the  nature 
of  either  gravitation  or  electricity.  We  realize  that  we 
have  yet  much  to  learn.  We  do  know  that  such  things 
as  gravitation,  intelligence  and  electricity  exist. 

Memory  is  the  power  to  receive  impressions  of  things, — 
keep  them  for  a  long  time  and  reproduce  them  when 
needed.  We  know  this  faculty  of  memory  to  be  the  base 
on  which  our  intelligence  rests.  Without  this  power  to 
remember  and  compare  experiences,  we  could  form  no 
ideas  or  judgments.  We  would  be  unable  to  do  anything 
based  on  past  experience ;  in  fact,  there  cannot  be  any 
intellect  or  mind  without  memory.  By  reason  of  this 
power  the  cells  can  remember  just  how  the  structures 
were  made  from  which  they  came,  and  how  they  acted 
while  a  part  of  such  structures.  The  cells  build  the  new 
structures,  such  as  plants  and  animals,  as  like  as  they  can 


INTRODUCTORY  15 

remember,  from  their  experiences  in  the  structures  from 
which  they  came,  and  also  from  their  experience  in  build- 
ing similar  structures  in  ages  past. 

The  instinctive  emotional  and  reflex  actions  are  gen- 
erally those  produced  and  directed  by  cells  in  other  places 
of  the  body  and  not  in  the  brain.  All  these  actions  will 
be  considered  and  explained  in  the  chapter  on  heredity. 

You  have  probably  been  wondering  what  I  would  have 
to  say  about  the  theory  of  evolution  being  the  cause  of 
life.  That  theory  does  not  exclude  but  goes  to  support 
my  theory.  Evolution  is  an  undisputed  fact.  In  a  strug- 
gle for  existence  the  fittest  will  survive,  but  the  fact  is 
only  an  incident  in  life.  Survival  of  the  fittest  is  a  fact  in 
nature,  in  business,  politics,  religion  and  among  nations. 
In  the  struggle  between  two  battleships,  the  best  fitted 
for  the  struggle  will  generally  win  out.  My  contention  is 
that  the  real  cause  of  the  existence  of  those  individual 
struggling  ships  was  the  intelligence  possessed  by  the 
builders.  The  ships  did  not  come  to  exist  by  chance 
arrangement  of  matter.  We  shall  find  upon  investigation 
that  natural  selection  and  survival  of  the  fittest  are  the 
things  that  determine  who  shall  live  of  two  structures  or 
individuals  contending  for  space  and  existence.  In  the 
same  manner,  survival  of  the  fittest  is  the  thing  which  will 
determine  who  shall  be  the  ruler  of  the  sea,  the  English 
or  the  Germans,  or  whose  factory  shall  survive  in  a  town 
where  only  one  can  exist.  The  theory  of  evolution  pro- 
pounded by  Darwin  and  his  followers  does  not  account  for 
the  existence  of  the  German  and  English  navies  nor  for 
the  existence  of  the  factories,  who  struggle  for  existence, 
one  against  the  other. 

My  contention  is  this,  that  these  factories  and  navies 
did  not  come  to  exist  by  chance.  Some  intelligent  being 
has  caused  their  construction  or  existence.  Who  are  the 


16      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

builders?  Are  they  intelligent  beings?  We  must  ask 
the  same  questions  in  regard  to  the  structures  we  see  in 
life.  We  see  a  tree.  It  is  a  stationary  habitation  of  a 
billion  cells.  We  ask,  who  are  the  builders  of  that  tree? 
It  is  admitted  now  that  the  cells  are  the  builders  of  the 
trees  they  occupy.  You  ask,  how  can  they  build  them? 
They  do  so  by  gathering  the  material  and  arranging  it 
into  the  form  of  a  tree.  How  could  they  do  it?  Because 
they  are  intelligent  beings.  The  reader  may  not  be  famil- 
iar with  Darwin's  theory  of  evolution,  so  I  shall  briefly 
state  what  it  is  : 

First.  All  animals  vary.  Hardly  ever  are  two  born 
just  alike.  There  is  nearly  always  some  point  of  differ- 
ence. 

Second.  All  animals  and  plants  multiply  so  rapidly 
that  all  of  them  cannot  possibly  live. 

Third.  All  animals  and  plants  are  therefore  in  a  con- 
stant struggle  with  each  other  for  food  and  existence. 

Fourth.  Those  who  have  by  chance  been  born  with 
some  feature  that  favors  them  in  their  struggle  will  live 
and  perpetuate  their  kind. 

Fifth.  This  favorable  variation  will  be  passed  on  to 
the  offspring  through  inheritance  and  in  that  way  pre- 
served to  that  species. 

Sixth.  By  this  process  of  continual  variation,  struggle 
for  existence  and  inheritance,  the  different  species  of  ani- 
mals have  arisen.  Darwin  has  also  added  sexual  selec- 
tion. He  shows  that  among  many  animals,  there  is  a  con- 
test in  the  breeding  season  among  the  males  for  the  pos- 
session of  the  females.  The  contest  is  sometimes  by 
actual  combat  and  sometimes  by  an  attempt  to  attract  the 
favor  of  the  female  by  the  display  of  brilliant  plumage  or 
by  singing.  Now  evidently  those  males  who  have  espe- 
cially developed  weapons  for  combat  or  especially  beau- 


INTRODUCTORY  17 

tiful  plumage  will  be  the  victors,  and  will  leave  the  most 
vigorous  offspring,  and  the  offspring  will  have  the  ten- 
dency to  inherit  the  same  weapons  and  plumage.  This 
process  developes  antlers  on  the  male  deer  and  elk,  and 
the  beauty  of  the  male  birds.  By  means  of  this  principle 
Darwin  and  other  evolutionists  have  attempted  to  account 
for  the  evolution  of  life  and  the  origin  of  new  species  from 
the  old  upon  purely  physical  laws. 

We  shall  see  that  this  theory  is  true  only  so  far  as  it 
goes,  and  shall  also  soon  see  that  upon  analysis  it  does 
not  go  any  further  than  I  stated.  That  it  is  merely  an 
incident  and  a  fact  that  the  best  man  or  institution  in  the 
struggle  for  existence  will  win  and  live  to  perpetuate  his 
kind  or  his  institution  or  business.  It  does  not  explain 
who  are  the  builders  of  these  struggling  institutions, 
structures  or  beings,  nor  how  the  builders  are  able  to  put 
them  together.  They  do  not  attempt  to  explain  or  give 
any  cause  why  one  should  inherit  the  features,  form  and 
character  of  his  parents,  nor  why  individuals  should  vary. 
In  this  book  I  shall  attempt  to  definitely  settle  these  ques- 
tions, so  that  we  know  where  we  are  at,  and  can  start  in- 
vestigations of  other  and  further  questions.  As  Darwin's 
theory  of  evolution  is  based  on  inheritance,  it  must  fail 
as  a  cause,  as  a  great  number  of  ants  and  bees  have  neu- 
trals, that  is,  they  have  males,  females  and  workers.  These 
workers  can  in  no  way  pass  on  anything  to  their  offspring, 
as  they  never  have  any.  These  matters  will  be  fully  dis- 
cussed when  we  get  to  them.  Spencer,  like  Darwin  and 
others,  attempt  to  show  that  life  is  based  on  chemical  and 
mechanical  action.  Thay  fail,  however,  to  explain  the 
mystery  of  growth,  heredity  and  instinctive  action.  To 
show  you  how  hard  they  have  tried  to  understand  it  and 
how  they  have  twisted  the  language  to  say  something  that 
would  sound  like  a  cause  I  shall  here  quote  some  passages 


18  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

from  Spencer,  the  great  exponent  of  the  Darwinian 
theory.  He  puts  the  question :  "How  can  this  cell  con- 
struct a  body?"  Does  every  germ  contain  a  model  of  the 
complete  animal  or  is  each  germ  a  miniature  form  of 
same?  No,  all  we  can  say  is  that  the  living  particles  com- 
posing one  of  these  fragments  have  the  innate  tendency 
to  arrange  themselves  into  the  shape  of  the  organism  to 
which  they  belong.  He  seems  to  see  no  other  reason  for 
the  actions  of  the  cell  in  building  a  plant  except  that  they 
have  "innate  tendency"  to  do  so.  He  would  explain  it 
just  as  well  by  frankly  stating  that  he  did  not  know. 


FIG.  2.— Amoeba  highly  magnified— Central  portion,  cell  body, 
n.  nucleus;  c.  v.  bacuole;  p.  Pseudopodia,  hands  or  arms  extended. 

The  question  that  will  be  discussed  by  me  is  not  what 
intelligence  and  vital  force  are,  but  whether  or  not  this 
intelligence  that  directs  the  cell  is  similar  to  and  the  same 
as  that  which  directs  intelligent  man.  Many  scientists 
today  are  studying  questions  and  theories  which  exist 
only  in  the  imagination  of  the  person  who  is  studying 
them.  We  shall  take,  for  instance,  the  subject  of  helio- 
tropism  of  living  organisms.  This  word  is  used  to  denote 


INTRODUCTORY  19 

the  property  in  some  plants  or  animals  which  compels 
them  to  go  towards  the  light.  I  have  examined  this  sub- 
ject and  I  am  certain  that  no  such  property  or  thing  ex- 
ists ;  that  this  high  sounding  word  describes  something 
that  exists  only  in  the  imagination  of  some  person.  How- 
ever, the  books  are  full  of  it  and  Jacques  Loeb.  M.  D.  PH. 
D  and  S.  C.  D.  (member  of  the  Rockefeller  Institute)  in 
his  book  on  the  Physico-Chemical  or  Mechanistic  theory 
of  life  tries  to  show  that  this  fact  is  the  most  significant 
proof  that  life  is  merely  a  chemical  force.  Here  is  what 
he  has  to  say  on  the  subject :  "The  positively  heliotropic 
animals  which  go  instinctively  to  a  source  of  light  have 
in  their  eyes  photo  sensitive  substances,  which  undergo 
chemical  alterations  by  light.  The  products  formed  in 
this  process  influence  the  contraction  of  the  muscles 
mostly  indirectly  through  the  nervous  system.  In  a  series 
of  experiments  I  have  shown  that  the  heliotropical  reac- 
tions of  animals  are  identical  with  the  heliotropical  actions 
of  plants.  In  plants  only  the  more  refrangible  rays  from 
green  to  blue  have  these  heliotropical  effects,  while  the 
red  and  yellow  rays  are  little  or  less  effective,  and  the 
same  is  true  for  the  heliotropical  reaction  of  animals." 

Now  here  follow  some  of  his  experiments  in  the  follow- 
ing words  :  "Some  experiments  on  winged  plant  lice  may 
serve  as  an  introduction,  etc.  *  *  *  In  order  to  obtain 
the  material,  potted  rose  bushes  infected  with  plant  lice 
are  brought  into  a  room  and  placed  in  front  of  a  closed 
window.  If  the  plants  are  allowed  to  dry  out,  the  aphides 
(plant  lice),  previously  wingless,  change  into  winged  in- 
sects. After  this  metamorphosis  the  animals  leave  the 
plants,  fly  to  the  window  and  there  creep  upward  on  the 
glass."  Then  he  makes  the  further  remark :  "It  can  be 
demonstrated  in  these  animals  that  the  direction  of  their 
progressive  movements  is  just  as  unequivocally  gov- 


20     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

erned  by  the  source  of  light  as  the  direction  of  the  move- 
ments of  the  planets  is  determined  by  the  force  of  grav- 
ity." 

Certainly  Mr.  Loeb  must  know  that  the  cells  who  build 
these  aphides  or  plant  lice  are- in  every  way  similar  and 
identical  to  the  cells  that  build  him  or  Mr.  Rockefeller. 
They  are  of  exactly  the  same  size  and  general  appearance. 
I  think  the  cells  that  build  the  plant  lice  show  an  extra- 
ordinary amount  of  skill  and  intelligence.  As  long  as  the 
rose  bush  was  living,  they  were  satisfied  and  contented 
because  they  had  enough  to  both  eat  and  drink.  When 
Mr.  Loeb  dried  up  the  rose  bush  and  deprived  them  of 
food  and  drink,  they  had  to  get  out  of  there  and  go  some 
place  where  they  could  procure  those  things  necessary  to 
their  life.  They  are  compelled  to  do  this  just  as  Mr.  Loeb 
would  have  to  do  under  similar  circumstances  or  starve 
to  death.  The  plant  lice  could  clearly  see  that  there  was 
nothing  to  eat  and  drink  within  any  reasonable  distance 
of  where  they  were  stranded.  It  looked  to  them  like  a 
"Long  way  to  Tipperary."  The  only  method  by  which 
they  could  save  themselves  from  starvation  was  to  pre- 
pare temporary  wings  and  fly,  which  they  did.  Now 
where  or  in  what  direction  should  they  fly?  Anyone  with 
sense  would  go  straight  to  the  place  which  would  look 
like  an  opening  in  the  prison  or  house  in  which  they  were 
enclosed.  The  light  in  the  window  would  be  the  only 
thing  that  would  direct  them  to  a  way  to  get  out  and  find 
another  green  plant  which  is  their  only  source  of  food  and 
drink.  What  more  could  Mr.  Loeb  have  done  if  he  had 
been  in  their  place?  Endowed  with  the  intelligence  that 
Mr.  Loeb  and  Mr.  Rockefeller  are  now  supposed  to  have, 
what  more  could  they  have  done  to  save  themselves  from 
starvation?  The  intelligence,  skill  and  knowledge  pos- 
sessed by  the  builders  of  the  plant  lice  to  be  able  to  build 


INTRODUCTORY  21 

wings  with  which  to  carry  themselves  away,  when  neces- 
sary, in  an  emergency  like  that,  is  in  my  opinion  won- 
derful. It  is  far  superior  to  ours. 

Here  is  another  illustration  that  Mr.  Loeb  gives  of 
heliotropism  :  "If  small  crustaceans  of  a  fresh  water  pond 
or  lake  are  taken  with  a  plankton  net  at  noontime  and 
placed  in  an  aquarium  which  is  illuminated  from  one  side 
only,  it  is  found  that  those  animals  move  about  in  the 
vessel  pretty  much  at  random  and  distribute  themselves 
irregularly.  Some  seem  to  go  more  towards  the  source 
of  light,  others  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  the  majority, 
perhaps,  pay  no  attention  to  the  light.  This  condition 
changes  instantly  if  we  add  to  the  water  some  acid.  If 
the  correct  amount  is  added,  all  the  individuals  become 
actively  positively  heliotropic  and  move  in  as  straight  a 
line  as  the  imperfection  of  the  swimming  movements  per- 
mits towards  the  source  of  light  and  remain  there  closely 
crowded  together  on  the  illuminated  side  of  the  vessel. 
How  does  the  acid  produce  this  result?  We  will  assume 
that  it  acts  as  a  sensitizer."  Mr.  Loeb  inquires,  how  does 
the  acid  produce  this  result  and  suggests  that  the  acid 
probably  is  a  sensitizer.  We  are  forced  to  ask  the  ques- 
tion, that  if  a  man  were  in  the  water  in  place  of  these  ani- 
mals and  someone  should  put  enough  acid  into  the  water 
so  as  to  burn  his  skin  and  body,  if  he  would  not  become 
just  as  heliotropic  as  these  crustaceans  and  if  he  would 
not  make  a  scramble  to  get  out  precisely  in  the  same 
manner.  Being  confined  in  a  dark  cave  Hke  the  aquarium 
with  acid  burning  his  body,  his  only  thought  would  be  to 
escape  from  the  place.  The  only  thing  to  guide  his  ac- 
tions to  effect  an  escape  from  this  dark  cave  would  be  the 
light.  It  would  be  the  only  thing  that  could  lead  him  or 
indicate  to  him  an  opening  to  the  outside  world.  These 
cells  or  animals  called  crustaceans  do  nothing  different 


22      CELL,  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

from  what  you  or  I  would  do  under  the  same  circum- 
stances. Then  he  makes  the  following  comment :  "In 
certain  animals,  for  instance  in  daphnia  and  in  certain 
marine  copepods,  a  decrease  in  temperature  also  increases 
the  tendency  to  positive  heliotropism.  If  the  mere  addi- 
tion of  acid  is  not  sufficient  to  make  daphnia  positively 
heliotropic,  this  may  often  be  accomplished  by  simultan- 
eously reducing  the  temperature."  In  other  words,  he 
might  as  well  say  that  if  you  cannot  start  them  moving 
by  burning  them  with  acid  you  can  do  so  by  freezing  or 
making  it  uncomfortably  cold  for  them.  Why  should 
they  not  try  to  escape  from  a  place  where  they  are  freez- 
ing or  where  their  skin  is  being  irritated  and  eaten  by 
acid? 

I  will  quote  you  one  more  of  his  illustrations,  which  he 
thinks  is  very  significant  of  the  fact  that  some  animals 
become  at  times  possessed  by  a  property  that  he  calls 
heliotropism.  I  think  it  is  the  most  absurd  illustration  of 
them  all.  Here  is  what  he  has  to  say  about  the  young 
beetle,  who  comes  out  of  the  ground  in  the  spring  hungry 
and  is  very  much  in  need  of  something  to  eat :  "This 
change  in  the  heliotropic  sensitiveness  produced  by  cer- 
tain metabolic  products  in  the  animal  body  is  of  great 
biological  significance.  I  pointed  out  in  former  papers 
that  it  serves  to  save  the  lives  of  the  above  mentioned 
young  larvae  of  chrysorrhoea.  When  the  young  larvae  are 
awakened  from  their  winter  sleep  by  the  sunshine  of  the 
Spring,  they  are  positively  heliotropic.  Their  positive 
heliotropism  leaves  them  no  freedom  of  movement  but 
forces  them  to  creep  straight  upward  to  the  top  of  a  tree 
or  branch.  Here  they  find  the  first  buds.  In  this  way 
their  heliotropism  guides  them  to  their  food.  Should 
they  now  remain  positively  heliotropic  they  would  be  held 
fast  on  the  ends  of  the  twigs  and  would  starve  to  death. 


INTRODUCTORY  23 

but  we  have  already  mentioned  that  after  having  eaten, 
they  once  more  lose  their  positive  heliotropism,  they  can 
now  creep  downward  until  they  reach  a  new  leaf,  the  odor 
or  tactile  stimulus  of  which  stops  the  progressive  move- 
ments of  the  machine  and  sets  their  eating  activity  again 
in  motion." 

I  want  the  reader  to  stop  a  moment  here  and  consider 
the  absurdity  of  this  statement.  The  actions  described 
by  Mr.  Loeb  of  this  beetle  are  those  of  any  intelligent 
being  under  the  same  circumstances.  When  the  beetle 
comes  out  of  the  ground,  he  is  hungry ;  he  knows  where 
to  go  to  procure  his  food.  Without  having  had  any  pre- 
vious training  or  information  as  to  where  to  find  some- 
thing to  eat,  he  goes  right  after  it.  After  having  eaten 
one  bud,  he  goes  after  the  next  one.  This  knowledge  of 
where  to  go  to  find  something  to  eat  without  having  had 
any  information  on  the  subject,  other  scientists  call  in- 
stinct, but  Mr.  Loeb  calls  it  heliotropism.  He  goes  so 
far  as  to  state  that  but  for  this  heliotropism,  the  beetle 
would  not  know  where  to  find  his  food  and  would  starve 
to  death.  Why  should  the  beetle  lose  his  heliotropic  prop- 
erty by  eating  a  bud?  Mr.  Loeb  states  that  this  helio- 
tropism would  pin  him  to  the  top  of  the  tree,  but  for  the 
fact  that  it  is  removed  by  the  eating  of  the  bud.  Why 
should  the  actions  of  the  beetle,  any  more  than  those  of 
Mr.  Loeb's,  be  those  of  heliotropism  when  going  in  search 
of  food?  You  may  ask,  how  can  the  young  beetle  know 
where  to  go  without  previous  experience  or  information 
as  to  where  to  find  his  food?  That  will  be  fully  and  clearly 
explained  under  the  chapter  on  heredity  and  instinctive 
action.  The  reader  must  remember  that  the  cells  who 
build  the  young  beetle  also  direct  its  action  and  course, 
just  as  we  direct  the  action  and  course  of  a  boat  and 
other  vehicles.  The  experience  and  knowledge  are  in  the 


24      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 

cell,  the  builder  of  the  beetle,  who  was  but  last  year -the 
director  of  the  parent,  and  well  remembers  where  it  got 
its  food.  There  are  other  tropisms  besides  heliotropism 
which  are  used  to  describe  the  property  of  organisms 
being  attracted  by  light.  There  is  geotropism  to  show 
that  they  are  attracted  by  the  gravity  of  the  earth  and 
galvano  tropism  to  denote  that  they  are  affected  by  an 
electric  current.  These  words  are  used  in  demonstrating 
that  life  is  merely  a  chemical  action  affected  by  light,  elec- 
tricity and  gravity  in  the  same  manner  as  dead  matter 
and  chemical  substances. 

So  far  as  we  can  see  and  understand  the  question  at 
this  time,  life  seems  to  be  an  intelligent  being  we  call  cell, 
moulding  and  directing  matter  for  its  own  use  and  pur- 
pose. I  am  not  going  to  say  just  what  life  and  intelligence 
in  the  cell  really  are.  I  only  want  to  get  matters  lined  up 
right  in  reference  to  those 'things  we  actually  know. 

The  cells  in  the  brain  of  man  are  capable  of  directing  his 
actions  so  as  to  effect  the  wonderful  progress  and  inven- 
tions that  have  taken  place.  In  building  and  maintaining 
the  body,  they  act  precisely  in  the  same  manner  as  we  do. 
The  cells  which  make  up  the  lining  of  the  stomach  for 
instance,  reach  out  their  hands  and  select  this  and  that 
from  the  mixed  mass  we  have  placed  therein.  They  can 
always  discriminate,  for  instance,  between  bits  of  fat  and 
particles  of  coal,  absorbing  the  former  and  leaving  the 
latter.  The  surface  cells  pick  out  what  is  needed  and 
hand  it  over  to  the  other  cells,  who  carry  it  to  the  place 
where  it  is  wanted.  Their  acts  show  judgment  and  dis- 
cretion, the  same  as  our  own. 

There  has  been  a  vast  number  of  experiments  in  late 
years  and  my  opinion  is  based  on  these  experiments  and 
the. conclusions  that  have  been  reached  from  them.  Nearly 
all  who  are  occupied  in  this  work  have  been  specializing. 


INTRODUCTORY  25 

Each  one  in  his  particular  subject  has  been  so  completely 
occupied  with  his  part  of  the  whole  that  he  has  not  taken 
time  to  summarize  or  comprehend  life  as  a  whole.  It 
makes  me  think  about  the  story  of  the  five  blind  men  who 
went  to  see  what  the  elephant  was  like.  One  put  his 
hands  on  the  elephant's  side ;  one  put  his  arm  around  his 
leg;  one  got  hold  of  his  trunk;  one  took  hold  of  his  tail. 
As  they  were  all  blind  and  did  not  take  time  to  feel  of  the 
whole  animal,  no  one  of  them  had  any  really  correct  idea 
of  what  the  elephant  was  like.  The  one  who  got  him  by 
the  leg  thought  he  was  like  a  tree,  and  the  one  who  got 
him  by  the  trunk  thought  he  was  like  a  snake,  and  the 
one  that  got  him  by  the  tail  thought  he  was  like  a  rope. 
It  all  depended  on  what  place  they  had  felt  of  him,  and 
as  their  experiences  were  all  different  they  never  agreed 
as  to  what  the  elephant  was  like  and  never  could ;  while 
a  man  who  could  see  and  had  seen  the  whole  elephant, 
could  clearly  hear  from  their  discussion  that  they  were 
all  wrong.  It  appears  to  be  similar  with  the  scientists 
today.  Each  one  feeling  only  of  a  certain  spot  is  not  com- 
petent to  tell  what  life  as  a  whole  really  is. 

There  are  certain  things  that  we  all  can  see,  that  the 
microscope  has  revealed  to  us  as  clearly  and  as  certainly 
as  the  food  we  eat  and  the  clothes  we  wear.  That  is  to 
say,  it  is  undisputed  that  these  microscopic  animals  exist. 
We  find  them  as  living,  single,  separate,  animals  or  beings 
in  both  salt  and  fresh  water.  Every  drop  of  water  taken 
from  ocean  or  pond  contains  one  or  more  of  them.  It  is 
undisputed  that  these  beings  build  from  the  material  at 
hand  all  the  structures  we  see  and  know  as  plants  and 
animals.  Upon  this  base  of  facts  admitted,  we  can  and 
should  be  able  to  agree  as  to  the  cause  of  development  in 
life,  inheritance  and  instinctive  action.  Beyond  these 
facts,  we  do  not  yet  know  the  inner  life  of  the  cell  itself. 


26  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

We  must  stop  now  and  then  before  the  unknown.  The 
more  we  become  acquainted  with  this  wonderful  being 
we  call  cell,  the  more  we  see  our  ignorance  of  the  depths 
of  his  real  existence.  Only  a  few  years  ago  we  knew  very 
little  about  the  life  of  the  cell.  Today  we  understand  him 
a  little  better.  Every  day  questions  are  put  to  the  cell 
and  some  of  the  replies,  though  vague,  reveal  an  unex- 
pected purpose  and  intelligence  in  his  actions. 

I  have  stated  enough  to  indicate  the  general  purpose  of 
this  book  and  what  I  intend  to  prove  by  it,  and  shall  now 
begin  the  argument  by  first  considering  what  life  really 
is  as  nearly  as  we  can  determine  from  all  experiments 
made  along  that  line  up  to  the  present  time. 


CHAPTER  II. 
WHAT  IS  LIFE? 

Life  began  sometime  in  the  past  history  of  the  earth  or 
else  with  the  beginning  of  time.  If  it  is  a  property  of 
matter  and  came  to  exist  far  back  in  the  Paleozoic  ages 
when  the  world  was  young,  conditions  must  have  first 
become  suitable  for  it  to  appear.  It  did  not  appear  as  a 
cell  or  bacterium  but  as  one  of  those  primordial  cells  or 
ultramicroscopic  beings,  which  we  now  find  organized 
into  the  perfect  animal  we  call  cell.  This  primordial  being 
must  have  existed  for  ages  as  a  single  separate  individual 
before  it  began  its  social  life  in  the  cell  It  did  not  th^n 
understand  how  to  transform  solar  energy  into  chemical 
energy  and  thereby  make  the  food  now  used  by  us  and 
the  cells. 

This  primordial  cell  without  doubt  exists  today  in  a 
single  state.  There  must  exist  at  the  present  time  a 
whole  world  of  living  creatures  which  have  never  been 
seen  by  the  microscope,  of  all  sizes  from  the  single  separ- 
ate primordial  cell  up  to  those  cells  we  call  bacteria,  pro- 
Jozoa  and  the  plant  and  animal  building  cells.  We  can 
never  find  out  what  life  really  is  until  we  can  invent  a 
method  by  which  we  can  study  and  understand  the  inner 
life  of  the  primordial  being  which  builds  the  cells.  Up 
to  the  present  time  we  can  see  that  life  exists  only  in  this 
animal  we  call  cell.  A  cell  can  come  only  from  another 


28      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

cell.  In  our  question  as  to  what  life  really  is,  we  can  only 
pursue  our  investigation  by  demonstrating  what  life  is 
not.  We  can  show,  I  believe,  that  life  is  not  any  of  the 
forces  of  nature  with  which  we  are  now  acquainted,  ex- 
cept the  force  that  we  call  intelligence.  Considering  the 
fact  that  the  cell  is  the  builder  of  all  things  we  see  on 
this  planet  that  have  what  we  call  life,  or  exhibit  that 
phenomenon  we  can  do  nothing  except  to  go  into  a  de- 
tailed investigation  of  the  actions  of  that  individual  as 
compared  with  the  actions  of  matter.  We  have  seen  from 
our  physiology  that  the  cell  is  either  a  one  cell  organism 
living  a  single  separate  life  for  himself  only,  or  a  colony 
of  millions  or  more  cells  living  together  and  all  working 
together  for  the  good  of  the  whole  community,  as  we  find 
the  case  to  be  in  a  plant  or  animal.  For  that  reason  they 
have  been  divided  into  unicellular  and  multicellular.  In 
this  discussion  of  what  life  really  is,  we  can  do  no  more 
than  compare  the  actions  of  these  microscopic  animals 
with  the  actions  of  matter,  as  they  are  affected  by  the 
forces  of  nature,  known  to  us  as  gravitation,  electricity, 
chemical  force  or  affinity,  light,  heat,  cold,  wind,  water, 
etc.  I  think  we  shall  find  that  these  forces  will,  that  is  to 
say,  they  will  affect  the  cell  in  the  same  manner  that  they 
would  affect  us  if  we  were  similarly  situated. 

We  shall  try  to  see  if  possible  if  the  phenomenon  of  life 
is  any  one,  some  or  all  of  these  forces.  We  shall  begin 
with  the  force  known  as  light.  Light  is  the  waves  of  a 
medium  which  occupies  all  space  in  the  universe  and  is 
known  as  ether.  Light  is  known  as  ether  waves.  It  has 
been  demonstrated  lately  that  these  waves  are  different, 
just  as  are  the  waves  of  the  sea,  and  according  to  their 
size  they  produce  different  effects.  Some  produce  heat, 
some  light,  and  some  electric  effects.  Ether  waves  may 
be  polarized,  reflected,  absorbed  and  refracted.  We  do 


WHAT  IS  LIFE?  29 

not  have  any  experimental  proof  as  to  just  how  these 
things  take  place,  so  we  do  not  know,  but  there  seems  to 
be  no  doubt  that  light,  radiant  heat  and  electric  waves 
are  all  of  the  same  nature.  The  ether  waves  are  some- 
times spoken  of  as  visible  or  invisible  light.  The  vibra- 
tion of  the  ether  set  in  motion  by  the  sun  is  heat  when  felt 
by  the  hand  and  light  when  felt  by  the  eye.  Heat  is  un- 
derstood to  be  and  is  a  disturbance  of  the  molecules  of 
matter.  The  more  violent  the  disturbance  the  more  heat. 
The  cells  that  build  plants  understand  how  to  direct  and 
use  the  heat  of  the  sun.  As  the  vibrations  of  the  ether  stir 
up  the  activity  of  the  atoms  of  matter,  the  celllcnows  how 
to  pile  them  up  in  large  molecules,  which  are  called  col- 
loids. These  are  merely  building  material  and  contain  no 
life,  such  as  proteids,  fats,  starches,  sugar  and  other  car- 
bohydrates. These  building  materials  known  as  colloids 
are  such  combinations  of  atoms  as  break  up  very  easily 
and  when  released  can  be  again  directed  to  take  such 
form  and  substance  as  may  be  required  by  cells  in  any 
particular  place  in  the  body.  As  the  atoms  change  from 
one  substance  into  another,  they  jar  the  surrounding 
bodies  and  the  atmosphere  in  which  they  come  in  contact, 
and  this  produces  what  we  call  heat.  This  atomic  motion 
and  vibration  is  also  called  chemical  energy.  Now  as  it 
is  a  fact  that  only  a  part  of  the  cells  understand  or  in  other 
words  have  the  power  to  make  their  own  food  and  build- 
ing material  from  the  raw  material  of  earth  and  air  by 
chemical  action  from  the  heat  of  the  sun,  it  is  clear  that 
chemical  action  is  not  life  nor  the  cause  of  life. 

Possibly  heat  is  not  very  generally  understood  and  the 
following  is  a  good  short  description  of  heat  by  Garret  P. 
Serviss :  "Heat  is  a  violent  agitation  of  the  infinitesimal 
particles  or  molecules  of  which  all  matter  is  composed, 
hence  there  can  be  no  heat  in  a  vacuum  where  there  are 


30     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

no  particles  of  matter  to  be  agitated  or  in  the  ether  which 
is  a  medium  that  does  not  obey  the  ordinary  laws  of 
matter. 

But  on  the  other  hand  the  vibrations  that  give  rise  to 
heat  when  they  encounter  material  bodies  must  exist  in 
the  ether  because  it  is  the  ether  which  carries  them,  and 
since  ether  is  not  excluded  like  matter  from  what  we  call 
a  vacuum,  it  follows  that  these  vibrations  may  exist  in 
the  vacuum,  in  fact,  the  only  thing  that  a  vacuum  con- 
tains is  ether.  No  doubt  these  vibrations  conveyed  from 
the  sun  by  the  ether  may  produce  many  other  effects  un- 
perceived  or  unknown  to  us  because  we  have  no  special 
nerves  or  organs  of  sensation  suitable  to  their  perception. 
The  ether  you  will  observe  is  a  very  mysterious  thing  and 
the  discovery  of  its  existence  is  one  of  the  greatest  tri- 
umphs of  human  intelligence.  It  seems  to  possess  some 
of  the  properties  of  matter  and  yet  it  defies  most  of  the 
laws  of  matter  as  we  know  them.  To  study  all  the  phe- 
nomena of  heat  would  require  the  devotion  of  an  entire 
life  time.  Have  you  ever  reflected  upon  the  reason  why 
heat  can  turn  iron  into  a  liquid  and  water  into  steam? 
Most  persons  seeing  these  things  done  or  knowing  they 
are  done  every  day,  think  no  more  about  it.  It  is  not  from 
among  such  persons  that  the  great  leaders  of  human  ad- 
vancement make  their  appearance.  But  to  return  to  the 
answer  to  our  question — iron  is  melted  and  water  is  vapor- 
ized by  that  very  shaking  or  agitation  of  their  constituent 
particles  of  which  we  have  been  speaking.  The  mole- 
cules or  particles  of  a  solid  or  a  liquid  are  held  together 
by  the  mutual  attraction,  not  the  attraction  of  gravitation 
but  another  sort  of  attraction  called  cohesion.  The  dis- 
tance over  which  this  kind  of  an  attraction  acts  is  very 
small.  Each  particle  draws  upon  its  immediate  surround- 
ing particles  and  they  in  turn  upon  others  and  thus  the 


WHAT   IS    LIFE?  31 

whole  mass  of  a  solid  body  or  of  a  portion  of  liquid  is  held 
together. 

"In  solids  the  force  of  cohesion  is  so  great  that  the  par- 
ticles are  held  in  a  rigid  form.  In  liquids  it  is  relatively 
so  weak  that  the  particles  may  slide  about  over  one  an- 
other, and  in  a  gas  or  vapor  there  is  no  cohesion.  Now 
when  a  solid  is  heated  its  particles  are  set  into  extraordin- 
ary vibration  and  if  the  heating  is  carried  to  a  sufficient 
degree,  the  force  of  their  cohesion  will  be  so  far  weakened 
that  they  begin  to  slide  over  one  another  and  the  solid  be- 
comes a  liquid.  If  the  heating  is  carried  still  further,  the 
particles  will  be  so  shaken  that  they  lose  their  cohesive 
grip  entirely,  and  the  liquid  expands  into  a  vapor. 

"As  you  sit  in  front  of  your  winter  fire  and  see  the  black 
coal  or  hard  wood  molecularly  shaken  asunder  in  the 
jaws  of  heat  until  part  of  it  ascends  in  gases  and  part  falls 
in  ashes  while  the  agitation  sets  up  new  waves  of  heat  in 
the  surrounding  air  and  ether,  you  may  if  you  will,  be- 
come a  philosopher  and  contribute  your  own  little  share 
to  the  thinking  which  drives  the  world." 

This  is  a  very  good  description  of  heat  and  particularly 
of  the  ether  vibrations  we  receive  from  the  sun.  Mr. 
Serviss  is  of  the  same  opinion  as  myself,  that  if  we  pos- 
sessed organs  of  sensation  suitable  to  perceive,  we  would 
be  able  to  understand  very  many  other  effects  chemical 
and  otherwise,  which  the  waves  of  ether1  from  the  sun 
produce  on  matter.  No  doubt  the  cell  is  in  possession  of 
the  different  organs  of  sensation  suitable  to  perceive  the 
effects  that  the  solar  heat  or  ether  waves  have  on  matter 
and  is  thereby  able  to  direct  the  atoms  to  affect  the  large 
molecules  in  which  he  is  able  to  store  his  building  mate- 
rial and  energy. 

It  is  a  hard  and  tedious  work  to  forge  and  mold  the 
molecules  of  the  raw  material  of  earth,  air  and  water  into 


32      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

food  and  building  material,  so  a  large  number  of  cells 
have  become  parasites  and  live  upon  the  work  and  energy 
of  other  cells.  From  this  fact  that  some  cells  are  able  to 
use  the  heat  from  the  sun's  rays,  to  build  and  forge  the 
material  they  require,  and  others  not,  it  is  clear  that  life 
is  not  caused  by  the  heat  of  the  sun  but  that  the  heat  is 
used  in  the  same  manner  and  for  a  purpose,  as  it  is  used 
by  intelligent  man. 

Coming  back  again  to  the  question  as  to  whether  the 
light  has  a  power  to  attract  plants  and  animals,  I  believe 
it  has,  and  that  plants  and  animals  act  in  the  same  manner 
as  we  do  and  for  a  purpose.  They  go  towards  the  light 
for  several  reasons  but  mainly  to  get  out  of  the  place  in 
which  they  are  confined.  Plant  cells  build  their  structures 
towards  and  into  the  light  because  they  must  use  the  rays 
of  light  or  the  waves  of  ether  to  effect  the  chemical  action 
necessary  to  manufacture  their  food  and  the  building  ma- 
terial with  which  they  build  those  structures  we  call 
plants.  In  Mr.  Loeb's  book  "On  the  Mechanistic  Concep- 
tion of  Life"  he  makes  this  statement :  "At  the  present 
day  nobody  seriously  questions  the  statement  that  the 
action  of  light  upon  organisms  is  primarily  one  of  a  chem- 
ical character." 

It  appears  perfectly  clear  to  me  that  the  organisms  or 
cells  are  themselves  not  in  the  least  affected  by  the  action 
of  light  any  more  than  man  except  in  this  way,  that  if  they 
are  deprived  of  the  sun's  heat  and  light,  they  are  deprived 
of  a  force  with  which  they  are  able  to  manufacture  those 
things  that  they  must  have  to  eat,  and  also  those  mate- 
rials with  which  they  build  their  structures.  Sunlight 
seems  to  contain  a  peculiar  combination  of  energy  con- 
taining both  heat  and  electricity,  which  effect  chemical 
changes  in  the  raw  material  they  gather  from  earth,  air 
and  water  and  produce  those  particular  things  they  must 


WHAT  IS  LIFE?  33 

have  for  their  existence.  After  Mr.  Loeb  has  stated  that 
light  has  certain  effects  upon  the  organism  he  makes  the 
further  statement :  "While  this  chemical  action  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  for  organisms  the  nutrition  of  which 
depends  upon  the  action  of  chlorophyll,  it  becomes  of  less 
importance  for  organisms  devoid  of  chlorophyll."  The 
word  chlorophyll  is  intended  to  mean  a  power  in  plant 
cells  to  make  starch  for  food  from  the  raw  material  of 
earth,  air  and  water  by  the  assistance  of  sunlight.  You 
will  notice  from  this  statement  that  those  cells  who  do 
not  understand  how  to  make  starch  by  the  aid  of  sunlight, 
are  not  attracted  by  sunlight  in  the  manner  that  others 
are. 

Matter  at  the  present  time  is  classified  into  about  80 
elements.  These  elements  can  be  again  broken  up  into 
molecules,  molecules  into  atoms,  and  the  atoms  into  elec- 
trons. All  things  in  this  world  seem  to  be  in  motion. 
There  is  no  real  rest  anywhere.  It  is  always  only  appar- 
ent or  relative.  Heat  and  light  themselves,  which  con- 
stantly change,  are  merely  forms  of  motion.  One  writer 
states :  "In  the  eternal  play  of  cosmic  bodies,  countless 
suns  and  planets  rush  hither  and  thither  in  infinite  space. 
In  every  chemical  composition  and  decomposition  the 
atoms  or  smallest  particles  of  matter  are  in  motion  and  so 
are  the  molecules  they  compose." 

We  will  find  later  upon  further  investigation  that  some 
cells  carry  with  them  a  chemical  laboratory  where  they 
are  able  to  direct  and  forge  the  atoms  into  the  larger  mole- 
cules of  matter  to  suit  their  needs. 

Charles  G.  Gibson  in  his  "Scientific  Ideas  of  Today," 
states :  "We  picture  the  elementary  atoms  grouping 
themselves  into  little  congregations  called  molecules.  We 
picture  the  atoms  grabbing  hold  of  one  another  and  we 
find  that  the  different  atoms  have  different  grabbing  pow- 


34      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

ers.  For  instance,  when  we  combine  hydrogen  and  oxy- 
gen together,  each  oxygen  atom  is  able  to  grab  two  hydro- 
gen atoms  to  itself.  Therefore,  when  we  break  up  water 
into  its  constituent  gases  by  means  of  an  electric  current, 
we  find  that  we  get  twice  the  volume  of  hydrogen  that  we 
get  of  oxygen.  The  co-partnery  agreement  of  the  com- 
bination, known  as  'water,'  reads  that  there  shall  be  two 
members  of  the  hydrogen  family,  and  one  only  of  the  oxy- 
gen family  in  the  combination. 

"In  our  common  table  salt  there  is  a  very  simple  co- 
partnery,  one  atom  of  sodium  combining  with  one  atom 
of  chlorine.  Then  again  a  single  atom  of  gold  will  grab 
three  atoms  of  chlorine  to  form  the  chloride  of  gold  used 
in  toning  photographs.  We  see  the  elementary  atoms 
with  their  electrical  charges  combining  together  and  thus 
forming  the  neutral  molecule,  but  even  these  molecules 
are  far  below  the  range  of  the  most  powerful  microscope. 
We  think  of  the  invisible  microbe  again  and  try  to  realize 
that  it  contains  millions  upon  millions  of  individual  parti- 
cles or  molecules,  each  of  which  contain  several  atoms. 
We  therefore  picture  a  piece  of  solid  iron  as  being  entirely 
composed  of  invisible  atoms  of  iron.  If  we  handle  a  piece 
of  solid  iron  it  is  very  apparent  that  the  invisible  particles 
of  which  it  is  composed  must  have  a  powerful  grip  on  one 
another.  To  this  force  which  binds  the  molecules  to- 
gether, we  have  given  the  descriptive  title  of  cohesion 
from  the  Latin  word  cohaereo,  meaning  I  stick. 

"Our  thoughts  naturally  turn  to  the  electrons,  which 
along  with  the  ether,  are  the  most  fundamental  things  of 
which  we  have  any  knowledge.  It  is  evident  that  a  very 
heavy  burden  falls  upon  those  tiny  charges  of  negative 
electricity.  We  have  seen  that  they  are  the  stuff  that 
atoms  are  made  of.  Electric  current  and  electric  dis- 
charges are  simply  these  tiny  electrons  in  motion.  We 


WHAT  IS  LIFE?  35 

have  also  seen  how  the  movements  of  electrons  give  rise 
to  magnetic  fields,  electric  waves,  heat  and  visible  light 
and  every  variety  of  ether  waves. 

"In  the  blazing  sun  we  picture  electrons  revolving 
around  myriads  of  atoms  of  matter  at  a  great  variety  of 
speed.  Why  electrons  go  round  some  kinds  of  atoms 
faster  than  they  do  around  others  we  shall  see  later. 
These  electrons  in"  the  far  distant  sun  are  producing  a 
great  variety  of  different  wave  lengths  in  the  ether.  We 
see  some  atoms  giving  up  one  or  more  detachable  elec- 
trons, which  are  accepted  by  other  atoms  producing  a 
disturbance  in  their  electric  balance  and  causing  the  atoms 
to  attract  one  another  and  become  chemically  united.  In 
this  way  we  account  for  the  production  of  all  the  variety 
of  all  the  compound  substances  known." 

This  statement  by  Mr.  Gibson  will  give  the  reader  a 
general  idea  of  how  matter  seems  to  behave  to  the  mind 
of  the  scientific  man  today.  It  is  sufficient  to  give  the 
reader,  who  is  not  familiar  with  these  things,  some  idea 
of  the  nature  of  matter,  at  least  so  far  as  will  be  neces- 
sary to  a  reasonable  understanding  for  discussion  of  the 
question  at  hand.  The  reader  will  see  that  so  far  the 
modes  of  energy  exhibited  by  force  and  matter  in  the  uni- 
verse are  not  different  from  those  in  nature  with  which  we 
have  been  heretofore  familiar.  The  atoms  and  molecules 
of  matter  always  follow  fixed  laws.  We  shall  find  that 
the  actions  of  the  cell  are  not  those  of  fixed  laws  but  con- 
trary to  them.  He  is  a  master  of  matter. 

Does  light  affect  the  cells  chemically  or  do  they  merely 
act  as  we  would  under  similar  circumstances?  Mr.  Loeb 
gave  the  following  illustration  to  prove  that  certain  cells 
are  chemically  affected  by  light:  "When  we  observe  a 
dense  mass  of  copepods  collected  from  a  fresh  water  pond, 
we  notice  that  some  have  a  tendency  to  go  to  the  light 


36     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

while  others  go  in  opposite  directions  and  many,  if  not 
the  majority,  are  indifferent  to  light.  It  is  an  easy  matter 
to  make  the  negatively  heliotropic  or  the  indifferent 
(copepods)  almost  instantly  positively  heliotropic  by  add- 
ing a  small  but  definite  amount  of  carbon  dioxide  in  the 
form  of  carbonated  water  to  the  water  in  which  the  ani- 
mals are  contained.  If  the  animals  are  contained  in  50 
C.  C.  of  water,  it  suffices  to' add  from  3  to  6  C.  C.  of  carbon 
in  water  to  make  all  the  copepods  energetically  positively 
heliotropic.  This  heliotropism  lasts  about  half  an  hour, 
probably  until  the  carbon  dioxide  has  again  diffused  into 
the  air.  Similar  results  may  be  obtained  with  any  other 
acids." 

I  would  like  to  ask  what  any  man  would  do  under  sim- 
ilar circumstances  if  he  was  in  a  room  and  someone  filled 
it  with  a  poisonous  or  irritating  gas?  Would  he  not  also 
at  once  become  "energetically  heliotropic"  and  attempt 
to  escape  from  the  room?  Would  he  not  also  lose  his 
heliotropism  as  soon  as  the  noxious  gases  had  passed  out 
of  the  place  where  he  was  confined?  I  think  he  would  in 
precisely  the  same  manner  as  these  cells,  which  are  called 
copepods.  The  cell  is  an  animal  that  feels,  feeds  and  per- 
forms all  the  functions  of  life  in  every  manner  similar  to 
that  of  Mr.  Loeb.  The  advocates  of  the  chemical  theory 
of  life  base  their  strongest  proof  on  this  point  of  helio- 
tropism, which  is  entirely  without  foundation.  I  do  not 
think  it  is  necessary  to  go  into  any  further  detailed  dis- 
cussion of  the  other  tropisms  like  galvano-tropism  and 
geo-tropism.  The  first  is  the  idea  that  some  cells  are 
affected  by  electricity,  the  other  that  they  are  affected  by 
the  force  of  gravity.  While  it  may  be  said  they  are  af- 
fected, still  they  are  affected  in  no  wise  different  from  our- 
selves. They  will  take  advantage  of  the  electric  force 
and  turn  it  to  their  own  purpose  similar  to  ourselves.  For 


WHAT  IS  LIFE?  37 

instance,  the  electric  eel  takes  advantage  of  it  and  uses 
it  in  his  business  as  a  help  in  giving  battle  to  his  enemies, 
shocking  and  stinging  them,  thereby  more  easily  captur- 
ing animals  for  food. 

In  reference  to  gravity  it  affects  them  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  it  does  a  human  being.  In  order  to  be  able  to  get 
up  into  the  sunlight,  the  cell  will  defy  the  law  of  gravita- 
tion and  build  his  structure  straight  upward.  The  cell 
is  an  individual  that  is  in  no  manner  and  in  no  way  forced 
and  pushed  around  by  physical  and  chemical  forces  re- 
gardless of  any  will  or  opinion  he  may  have  in  the  matter 
himself.  The  physical  forces  are  not  able  to  cause  him 
to  act  in  any  different  manner  from  what  they  cause  man 
to  act. 

There  seem  to  be  two  sides  only  to  the  question,  after 
looking  over  the  enormous  mass  of  philosophy  and  ideas 
written  in  the  past  in  regard  to  the  cause  of  life.  One  side 
claims  that  life  came  to  exist  sometime  in  the  past  history 
of  the  earth,  out  of  the  elements  of  the  earth,  and  that  it 
is  only  a  chemical  and  mechanical  phenomenon.  The 
other  side  claims  that  a  mind  is  back  of  matter,  either 
separate  from  it  or  in  the  matter  itself.  Some  call  it  vital 
force  and  some  call  it  the  Divine  Will  in  the  world  or  the 
universe.  The  plain  reason  for  this  difference  of  opinion 
arises  from  the  fact  that  structures  in  nature  show  con- 
clusively that  intelligence  of  a  high  order  or  at  least  sim- 
ilar to  that  of  man  is  the  cause  that  forms  and  molds  the 
different  structures  of  life.  We  shall  not  in  this  chapter 
stop  to  discuss  what  intelligence  is,  but  will  leave  that 
to  a  separate  chapter. 

It  might  be  proper,  however,  at  this  time  to  give  a  short 
illustration  of  what  is  considered  to  be  an  intelligent  act 
and  one  that  is  not  intelligent  and  purely  mechanical.  I 
think  the  simplest  illustration  is  the  following  given  by 


38  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

Prof.  Win.  James:  "The  pursuance  of  future  ends  and 
choice  of  means  for  their  attainment  are  thus  the  mark 
and  criterion  of  the  presence  of  mentality  in  a  phenomena. 
We  will  use  this  test  to  discriminate  between  an  intelli- 
gent act  and  a  mechanical  performance.  We  impute  no 
mentality  to  sticks  or  stones  because  they  never  seem  to 
move  for  the  sake  of  anything,  but  always  when  pushed 
and  then  indifferently  with  no  sign  of  choice,  so  we  call 
them  senseless." 

Then  Mr.  James  gives  this  illustration :  "If  some  iron 
filings  be  sprinkled  on  a  table  and  a  magnet  be  brought 
near  them,  they  will  fly  through  the  air  for  a  certain  dis- 
tance and  stick  to  its  surface.  Let  a  card  cover  the  poles 
of  the  magnet  and  the  filings  will  press  forever  against  its 
surface  without  its  ever  occurring  to  them  to  pass  around 
its  sides  and  thus  come  in  contact  with  the  object  of  their 
love.  Blow  bubbles  through  a  tube  into  the  bottom  of  a 
pail  of  water;  they  will  rise  to  the  surface  and  mingle 
with  the  air.  Their  actions  may  be  poetically  interpreted 
as  due  to  a  longing  to  recombine  with  the  mother  atmos- 
phere above  the  surface,  but  if  you  invert  a  jar  over  the 
pail  they  will  rise  and  remain  lodged  beneath  its  bottom 
shut  in  from  the  outer  air,  although  a  slight  deflection 
from  their  course  at  the  outset  or  a  redescent  towards  the 
rim  of  the  jar  when  they  found  their  upward  course  im- 
peded would  easily  have  set  them  free.  If  we  now  pass 
from  such  action  as  these  to  those  of  living  things,  we 
notice  a  striking  difference.  Romeo  wants  Juliet  as  the 
filings  want  the  magnet  but  Romeo  and  Juliet,  if  a  wall 
be  built  between  them,  do  not  remain  idiotically  pressing 
their  faces  against  its  opposite  sides  like  the  magnet  and 
the  filings  with  the  card.  Romeo  goes  over  the  wall  or 
otherwise  and  touches  Juliet's  lips  directly.  With  the 
filings  the  path  is  fixed.  Whether  it  reaches  the  end  de- 


WHAT  IS  LIFE?  39 

pends  on  accident.  With  the  lover,  it  is  the  end  which  is 
fixed.  The  path  may  be  modified  indefinitely.  Suppose 
a  living  frog  in  the  position  in  which  we  place  our  bubbles 
of  air,  viz.,  at  the  bottom  of  a  jar  of  water — the  want  of 
air  will  soon  make  him  also  long  to  join  the  mother  atmos- 
phere, but  if  a  jar  of  water  be  inverted  over  it  he  will  not 
like  the  bubbles,  perpetually  press  his  nose  against  its  un- 
yielding roof,  but  will  restlessly  explore  the  neighborhood 
until  he  has  discovered  a  path  around  its  brim  to  the  goal 
of  his  desire." 

These  illustrations  are  good  and  show  clearly  the  differ- 
ence between  an  intelligent  and  a  mechanical  act.  I  do 
not  believe  it  is  possible  to  show  any  intelligence  in  a 
purely  chemical  and  mechanical  act,  as  it  never  acts  with 
a  purpose.  The  cell  has  been  active  for  millions  of  years 
in  building  structures  like  plants  and  animals.  In  the 
petrified  forests  of  Arizona  we  see  that  trees  were  con- 
structed in  precisely  the  same  shape  and  of  the  same  size 
as  they  are  today.  We  are  satisfied  that  those  trees  were 
built  by  cells  over  two  million  years  ago.  After  millions 
of  years  of  practise  and  experience  in  building  these  sta- 
tionary habitations  for  themselves  like  trees  and  plants, 
and  movable  structures  like  animals,  it  is  reasonable  that 
they  should  show  a  very  high  degree  of  skill  and  intelli- 
gence in  this  line  of  business.  By  the  aid  of  sunlight  they 
are  able  to  handle  and  direct  matter,  molecules,  atoms  and 
electrons  with  the  same  dexterity  that  our  best  builders 
handle  brick,  mortar  and  cement. 

The  cells  of  our  brain  which  do  our  thinking  are  not 
different  from  any  of  the  cells  of  our  body  nor  are  they 
any  different  from  the  cells  that  live  a  single  separate  life 
in  the  water,  nor  from  those  cells  that  build  plants.  The 
slight  difference  in  the  general  appearance  of  the  cells  of 
our  body  arises  from  the  fact  that  they  are  occupied  with 


40  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

different  kinds  of  work,  just  as  a  preacher  looks  different 
from  a  blacksmith, — but  otherwise  they  are  just  alike  in 
general  construction.  All  the  different  kinds  of  cells  such 
as  muscle  cells,  blood  cells  and  bone  cells  came  originally 
from  one  single  cell.  From  this  fact,  it  seems  to  me  that 
no  reason  can  be  given  why  one  cell  is  not  as  intelligent 
as  the  other. 

Our  intelligence  is  altogether  based  on  our  faculty  of 
memory.  Without  it  we  could  keep  no  record  of  our  ex- 
periences. Without  experiences  to  refer  to  we  could  form 
no  judgments.  From  the  experiences  stored  up  in  our 
memory  we  form  judgments  and  ideas  which  guide  our 
actions.  Based  upon  this  faculty  of  memory,  intelligence 
is  possible  and  from  it  all  intelligent  acts  proceed.  This 
power  of  the  cells  in  our  brain  to  receive  and  store  away 
information  and  experience  we  shall  see  later  is  not  only 
a  property  of  the  brain  cells  but  of  all  the  cells  of  the  body. 
Memory  is  a  peculiar  thing.  In  old  age  we  remember  the 
things  of  childhood  the  longest.  Sickness  weakens  the 
memory.  Repeating  an  experience  strengthens  it.  Drugs, 
fevers  and  excitement  bring  back  to  memory  things  long 
ago  forgotten.  However,  upon  this  power  of  memory 
possessed  by  the  cells  all  intelligence  is  based.  Upon  this 
power,  we  shall  see,  inheritance,  instinct  and  reflex  action 
are  based. 

Some  go  as  far  as  to  claim  that  matter  acts  as  if  pos- 
sessed of  intelligence  and  a  will.  For  instance,  if  we  drop 
a  crystal  of  salt  in  water,  the  salt  will  disappear,  the 
atoms  of  salt  will  move  around  in  the  water  in  perfect 
freedom.  If  the  water  is  evaporated  the  stoms  of  salt  will 
again  come  together  as  if  they  possessed  a  will  to  do  this. 
You  will  notice,  however,  that  this  is  a  will  that  follows 
a  fixed  law.  We  can  say  the  same  of  a  falling  stone.  It 
always  tries  to  go  back  to  the  earth.  We  find  the  same 


WHAT  IS  LIFE?  41 

thing-  in  chemical  attraction  and  affinity,  and  some  have 
gone  so  far  as  to  call  this  "unconscious  sensation,"  what- 
ever may  be  understood  by  that  expression.  The  word 
sensation  is  such  a  general  term  and  subject  to  so  many 
meanings,  that  it  is  hard  to  tell  just  what  ideas  they  in- 
tend to  convey.  They  have  gone  so  far  as  to  say  that 
the  actions  of  the  atom  in  moving  towards  and  joining 
other  atoms  to  form  other  combinations  of  matter  jndicate 
a  will  and  a  soul  in  the  atom.  They  claim  that  the  actions 
of  the  atoms  indicate  a  feeling  of  pleasure  in  getting  to- 
gether, and  one  of  displeasure  in  being  separated  from 
other  atoms.  It  seems  clear  to  me  that  all- these  actions, 
sensations  or  motions  of  matter  that  we  have  so  far  been 
able  to  discover  show  actions  under  a  fixed  law  that  we 
find  everywhere  in  the  universe;  while  the  intelligent 
action  that  we  find  in  all  organic  beings  we  call  alive, 
never  moves  under  a  fixed  law,  but  always  towards  a  fixed 
purpose  regardless  of  those  fixed  laws  of  nature.  I  will 
admit  that  matter  and  force  go  together  but  some  go 
further  and  claim  that  matter  has  both  force  and  sensa- 
tion. That  is  true  if  you  wish  to  call  action  sensation. 
However,  call  it  what  you  may,  it  is  not  intelligence. 

We  cannot  deny  the  great  difference  between  a  living 
and  a  non-living  body.  The  past  history  of  the  earth 
shows  that  life  has  left  a  trail  of  failures  and  successes, 
pain,  carnage  and  extinction  behind,  in  its  struggle  for 
existence.  One  writer,  Mr.  Burrows,  states:  "Man  has 
taken  his  chances  in  the  clash  of  blind  matter  and  in  the 
warfare  of  living  forms.  He  has  been  the  pet  of  no 
god ;  the  favorite  of  no  power  on  earth  or  in  heaven.  He 
is  one  of  the  fruits  of  the  great  cosmic  tree  and  is  subject 
to  the  same  hazards  and  failures  as  the  fruits  of  all  other 
trees.  The  frosts  may  nip  him  in  the  bud ;  the  storms 
beat  him  down ;  foes  of  earth  or  air  prey  upon  him  and 


42  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

hostile  influences  from  all  sides  impede  or  mar  him.  The 
very  forces  that  uphold  him  and  furnish  him  with  armory 
of  tools  and  power  will  destroy  him  the  moment  he  is  off 
his  guard.  He  is  like  the  trainer  of  wild  beasts  who,  at 
his  peril,  for  one  instant  relaxes  his  mastery  over  them. 
Gravity,  electricity,  fire,  flood,  hurricane  will  crush  or 
consume  him.  If  his  hand  is  unsteady  or  his  wits  tardy, 
nature  has  dealt  with  him  as  with  all  other  forms  of  life. 
She  has  shown  him  no  favor." 

This  is  a  very  good  description  of  the  general  condition 
that  prevails  in  nature.  This  is  a  true  description  of  the 
struggle  for  existence  found  everywhere  in  nature  from 
the  smallest  bacteria  to  the  largest  cell,  as  well  as  among 
all  plants  and  animals.  We  find  the  cell  living  singly  in 
the  ocean,  in  his  separate  struggle  for  existence,  has  made 
for  himself  a  coat  of  armor  from  materials  of  different 
kinds,  such  as  horn,  lime  and  flint.  Without  sufficient 
intelligence  to  provide  himself  with  these  coverings,  he 
would  have  been  unable  to  battle  with  the  crushing  ele- 
ments of  the  sea  and  to  perpetuate  his  existence.  It  might 
be  interesting  to  the  reader  to  know  what  the  great 
scientist,  John  Burroughs  of  the  Rockefeller  Institute,  has 
to  say  in  reference  to  what  life  really  is.  Here  is  part  of 
an  article  written  by  Mr.  Burroughs : 

"Our  studies  of  the  past  histories  of  the  globe  reveal 
the  fact  that  life  appeared  upon  a  cooling  planet  when  the 
temperature  was  suitable  and  when  its  basic  elements, 
water  and  carbon  dioxide  were  at  hand.  How  it  began, 
whether  through  insensible  changes  in  the  activities  of 
inert  matter  lasting  whole  geologic  ages  or  through  sud- 
den transformation  at  many  points  on  the  earth's  surface, 
we  can  never  know. 

"But  science  can  see  no  reason  for  believing  that  its 
beginning  was  other  than  natural.  It  was  inevitable  from 


WHAT  IS  LIFE?  43 

the  constitution  of  matter  itself.  Moreover,  since  the  law 
of  evolution  seems  of  universal  application  and  affords 
the  key  to  more  great  problems  than  any  other  generaliza- 
tion of  the  human  mind,  one  would  say  on  primordial 
grounds  that  life  is  an  evolution ;  that  its  genesis  is  to  be 
sought  in  the  inherent  capacities  and  potentialities  of 
matter  itself.  How  else  could  it  come?  This  is  certainly 
the  only  natural  road  and  it  leads  straight  to  the  physico- 
chemical  theory  of  the  origin  of  life — the  view  held  by  an 
increasing  number  of  biologists  and  bio-chemists  of  our 
day.  It  is  the  scientific  view ;  no  other  view  is  possible 
to  science  as  such.  Science  cannot  go  outside  of  matter 
and  its  laws  for  an  explanation  of  any  phenomena  that 
appear  in  matter.  It  goes  inside  of  matter  instead  and  in 
its  mysterious  molecular  attractions  and  repulsions  in 
the  whirl  and  dance  of  the  atoms  and  electrons  in  their 
amazing  potencies  and  activities,  sees  or  seems  to  see  the 
secret  of  the  origin  of  life  itself. 

"To  the  scientist  the  earth  is  complete  in  itself.  He 
can  admit  of  no  break  or  discontinuity  anywhere.  Threads 
of  relation,  visible  and  invisible,  chemical,  mechanical, 
electric,  magnetic,  solar,  stellar,  lunar,  geologic  and  bio- 
logic— forming  an  intricate  web  of  subtle  forces  and  influ- 
ences bind  all  things,  living  and  dead,  into  cosmic  unity. 

"The  disruptions  and  antagonisms  which  we  fancy  we 
see  are  only  the  result  of  our  limited  vision.  Nature  is 
not  at  war  with  itself.  There  is  no  room  or  need  for  mira- 
cles. There  is  no  outside  to  the  universe,  because  there 
are  no  bounds  to  matter  or  spirit.  Science  traces  the 
chain  of  cause  and  effect  everywhere  and  finds  no  break. 
It  follows  down  animal  life  until  it  merges  into  vegetable, 
though  it  cannot  put  its  finger  or  its  microscope  on  the 
point  where  one  ends  and  the  other  begins.  It  finds 
forms  that  partake  of  the  characteristics  of  both.  It  is 


44      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

reasonable  to  expect  that  the  vegetable  merges  into  the 
mineral  by  the  same  insensible  degree,  and  that  the  one 
becomes  the  other  without  any  real  discontinuity.  The 
change,  if  we  may  call  it  such,  probably  takes  place  in  the 
interior  world  of  matter,  among  the  primordial  atoms 
where  only  the  imagination  can  penetrate. 

"Looked  at  in  its  relation  to  the  whole,  life  appears 
like  a  transient  phenomenon  of  matter.  I  will  not  say 
accidental;  it  seems  inseparably  bound  up  with  cosmic 
processes,  but  I  may  say  fugitive,  superficial,  circum- 
scribed. Life  comes  and  goes ;  it  penetrates  but  a  little 
way  into  the  earth ;  it  is  confined  to  a  certain  range  of  tem- 
perature, beyond  a  certain  degree  of  cold  on  the  one  hand 
it  does  not  appear,  and  beyond  a  certain  degree  of  heat  on 
the  other  hand,  it  is  cut  off;  without  water  or  moisture  it 
ceases,  and  without  air  it  is  not.  It  has  evidently  dis- 
appeared from  the  moon  and  probably  from  the  inferior 
planets  and  it  is  doubtful  if  it  has  yet  appeared  on  any  of 
the  superior  planets,  save  Mars.  Life  comes  to  matter  as 
the  flowers  come  in  the  Spring  when  the  time  is  ripe  for 
it,  and  it  disappears  when  the  time  is  overripe.  Man  ap- 
pears in  due  course  and  has  his  little  day  upon  the  earth 
but  that  day  must  as  surely  come  to  an  end. 

"Yet  can  we  conceive  of  the  end  of  physical  order? 
The  end  of  gravity?  Or  of  cohesion?  The  air  may  dis- 
appear, the  water  may  disappear,  combustion  may  cease, 
but  oxygen,  hydrogen,  nitrogen  and  carbon  will  continue 
somewhere." 

This  statement  is  very  interesting  in  that  it  shows  how 
life  looks  to  a  man  in  a  chemical  laboratory,  who  can  by 
reason  of  his  peculiar  occupation  see  life  only  as  a  chem- 
ical force  and  action.  He  has  had  hold  of  the  elephant's 
tail.  To  him  the  elephant  is  like  a  rope.  You  will  notice 
that  at  no  place  does  he  even  mention  or  consider  the  cell, 


WHAT  IS  LIFE?  45 

who  is  the  builder  of  all  living  things  we  see.  He  can  see 
only  the  atoms,  molecules,  electrons,  smashing  around  in 
space  like  a  great  cyclone,  tearing  through  a  city,  and  in 
this  clash  and  crash  of  the  blind  forces,  life  started  and 
continues  today.  In  my  opinion  a  chemist  from  his  lab- 
oratory can  form  no  opinion  of  the  structure  and  life  of 
the  cell.  A  chemist  deals  with  the  crude  forces  of  nature, 
with  dead  matter.  The  remains  of  a  watch,  a  threshing 
machine  or  a  human  being  after  it  had  been  burned  into  a 
gaseous  form  would  not  furnish  a  person  with  any  infor- 
mation as  to  the  nature,  character,  purpose  or  inner  life 
of  those  structures. 

The  cell  is  an  animal,  very  highly  organized  and 
specialized.  Take  the  single  cell  called  amoeba  for  in- 
stance. He  has  no  machinery  with  which  he  can  manu- 
facture starch.  He  does,  however,  carry  with  him  build- 
ing material  with  which  he  can  in  an  emergency  save  his 
life  by  covering  himself  with  a  coat  of  armor.  Other  cells 
carry  with  them  a  structure  which  is  called  chromato- 
phore.  With  this  instrument,  these  cells  are  able  to  manu- 
facture starch  from  the  crude  substances  of  earth,  air  and 
water  by  the  aid  of  sunlight.  From  these  facts,  it  must 
appear  evident  to  the  reader  that  the  cell  is  a  very  highly 
organized  and  specialized  individual,  and  that  to  look  at 
him  from  the  point  of  view  of  being  mere  matter  and  force 
is  the  same  as  to  compare  the  actions  of  a  stone  rolling 
down  a  hill  with  that  of  an  automobile  moving  over  a 
smooth  pavement.  One  is  compelled  to  move  by  reason 
of  the  force  of  gravitation  while  the  other  moves  by  virtue 
of  the  intellect  that  guides  it.  The  structures  of  life,  like 
plants  and  animals,  are  built  from  the  materials  taken 
from  the  earth,  air,  and  water,  just  as  are  the  structures 
man  builds,  like  railroads  and  skyscrapers.  If  we  were 
asked  how  it  is  possible  for  man  to  effect  the  construe- 


46     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

tion  of  these  railroads  and  buildings,  we  would  say  that 
it  is  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  he  is  an  intelligent  being. 

The  intelligence  of  man  is  the  intelligence  possessed 
by  the  cells  in  his  brain.  If  man  is  intelligent  and  by 
virtue  thereof  is  able  to  combine  and  arrange  matter  and 
force  so  as  to  effect  structures  such  as  houses  and  rail- 
roads, why  is  not  the  cell  also  intelligent  when  he  is  able 
to  direct  the  forces  of  nature  so  as  to  effect  the  structures 
we  see  such  as  plants  and  animals.  The  cell  is  not  com- 
pelled to  act  by  reason  of  any  chemical  and  mechanical 
force,  any  more  than  is  man.  He  acts  by  reason  of  a  will 
and  judgment  of  his  own.  He  is  a  separate  living  animal. 
I  see  no  reason  to  impute  intelligence  to  the  activities  of 
atoms  and  molecules  any  more  than  to  bricks  and  stones. 
Bergson  in  his  "Creative  Evolution"  seems  to  see  in  mat- 
ter and  life  a  creative  energy.  If  we  stood  at  a  distance 
watching  a  skyscraper  gradually  grow  into  completeness, 
we  would  say  there  must  be  some  creative  energy  back 
of  it,  pushing  the  construction  and,  if  we  could  never  get 
near  enough  to  see  the  men  and  builders  at  work  we  could 
have  no  other  idea  of  how  that  sky  scraper  came  into  ex- 
istence except  that  it  was  caused  by  some  creative  energy. 

How  do  we  know  that  the  cell  does  actually  build  all 
organic  materials  or  living  structure  just  as  man  builds 
his  larger  structures,  like  machines,  houses,  railroads, 
etc.?  First — because  we  can  now  see  him  do  it. 

Second — because  matter  itself  is  such  that  it  never 
could  and  never  will  produce  anything  living.  Is  it  pos- 
sible to  demonstrate  that  all  matter  has  this  quality?  I 
think  it  is.  Wherever  a  tree  is  growing  or  sprouting, 
there  the  dead  matter  is  being  transformed  into  the  liv- 
ing, but  wherever  a  tree  or  animal  is  dead  or  decaying,  it 
is  gradually  again  turning  into  the  organic  matter.  So  it 
is  with  structures  produced  by  man.  While  a  house  or 


WHAT  IS  LIFE?  47 

city  is  occupied  by  the  builders  thereof,  it  is  being  main- 
tained or  growing,  so  to  speak,  but  as  soon  as  the  people 
are  destroyed,  the  structures  gradually  return  to  the 
ordinary  matter  of  the  earth. 

We  find  the  fossil  remains  of  the  structures  of  man,  like 
old  ruins  of  cities,  just  as  we  find  fossil  remains  of  the 
structures  of  the  cell,  like  the  bones  of  animals.  Matter 
and  force  and  chemical  action  act  just  the  same  in  one 
place  as  in  the  other.  They  are  the  same  and  will  act  the 
same  in  your  stomach  as  in  the  sun  or  any  other  place  in 
the  universe.  We  know  that  nourishment  is  transformed 
into  the  body  tissues  and  through  different  channels  it 
leaves  the  body  in  precisely  the  same  quantity  as  it  en- 
tered, partly  unmodified  and  in  other  form.  No  atom  of 
matter  has  been  lost.  Digestion  is  a  chemical  and  me- 
chanical process.  The  cells  are  compelled  to  comply  with 
and  take  advantage  of  chemical  forces,  matter  and  energy, 
in  precisely  the  same  manner  that  man  does.  The  cells 
must  keep  up  a  continual  chemical  laboratory  and  mix 
and  decompose  substances  according  to  the  general  laws 
of  chemical  affinity.  They  must  be  expert  in  their  work 
and  so  it  is  with  man,  he  can  do  nothing  unless  he  is  in- 
telligent and  understands  his  work.  The  elements  that 
make  up  the  plant  or  animal  are  the  same  as  those  of  a 
house  or  battleship.  The  cells  of  our  body  will  handle 
the  food  furnished  them  in  exactly  the  same  manner  as 
the  raw  material  furnished  to  a  factory.  The  coal,  iron 
and  other  raw  material  are  changed  into  the  product  in- 
tended or  required. 

The  plant  building  cells  have  produced  the  material 
for  the  cells  of  our  body  in  the  same  manner  that  the 
miners  have  produced  the  raw  material  for  our  factories. 
In  the  factory  as  in  the  body,  the  laws  of  matter  and  force 
must  be  complied  with.  Water  will  penetrate,  flow  and 


48      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

sink  according  to  laws  of  gravity,  in  one  place  as  well  as 
in  another.  The  knowledge  of  laws  of  matter  and  force  in 
the  universe  is  as  necessary  in  changing  crude  material 
into  the  finished  product  in  the  factory  as  in  our  bodies. 
The  laws  of  chemistry  and  mechanics  must  be  observed 
by  the  people  in  the  factory  as  well  as  by  the  cells  in  our 
body  or  in  plants.  The  circulation  of  the  blood  is  a  purely 
mechanical  act,  like  that  of  man  pumping  water.  The 
cells  that  produce  milk  or  digestive  fluid  must  employ 
chemistry.  The  chemist  will  analyze  the  crude  elements 
in  a  tree  or  animal  and  find  that  it  contains  the  same  ele- 
ments as  are  found  everywhere  in  the  universe,  and  from 
these  facts  he  will  draw  the  conclusion  that  life  itself  is 
only  a  chemical  action.  It  seems  to  me  absurd  to  make 
such  a  statement.  If  you  should  crush  a  skyscraper  or 
battleship  with  all  its  inhabitants  and  analyze  its  mangled 
mass  of  iron,  mortar,  wood,  brick,  and  human  beings,  you 
could  not  possibly  find  anything  but  the  ordinary  elements 
of  matter  found  in  the  universe ;  still  it  would  be  clearly 
absurd  to  say  that  the  skyscraper  or  battleship  had  pro- 
duced itself  from  the  raw  materials,  or  that  the  iron,  brick 
and  mortar  had  produced  the  skyscraper,  or  that  the 
wood,  metals  and  other  material  had  produced  the  battle- 
ship. There  are  several  things  now  made  by  man  that 
were  produced  a  few  years  ago  only  by  the  cell.  For  in- 
stance, free  nitrogen,  dextrose,  several  organic  acids,  per- 
fumes, candles,  Berlin  blue,  taurin,  etc.,  were  manufac- 
tured exclusively  by  the  cells  until  recently,  when  man 
also  discovered  how  to  make  them. 

Chemists  are  discovering  how  to  make  these  products 
of  life  made  by  the  cell,  and  no  doubt  in  the  future  will  be 
able  to  make  many  more,  as  we  have  plenty  of  the  raw 
material  from  which  to  make  them.  We  must,  however, 
remember  that  chemical  force  and  action  is  the  same 


WHAT  IS  LIFE?  49 

everywhere,  and  that  the  cell  must  plan,  mix  and  guide 
the  actions  of  the  chemical  forces  and  matter  just  as  man 
does  in  order  to  obtain  and  produce  these  artificial  com- 
pounds found  in  life.  If  intellect  is  not  there  to  guide  and 
direct  the  matter  and  force  of  the  universe,  nothing  will 
be  produced.  Heat  influences  the  actions  of  the  atoms 
and  molecules  of  matter.  Even  chemical  attraction  gives 
way  to  heat,  so  that  all  bodies  at  sufficient  temperature 
are  decomposed  into  free  atoms  or  elementary  parts.  In 
this  way  heat  performs  a  work  in  so  far  as  it  separates 
masses  from  each  other,  consequently  a  certain  amount 
of  mechanical  work  is  equivalent  to  a  certain  quantity  of 
heat  and  vice  versa.  In  chemical  action  a  transformation 
of  energy  of  one  kind  into  another  takes  place.  The  me- 
chanical energy  of  the  atoms  is  converted  into  heat, 
which  may  again  be  used  for  the  other  forms  of  mechani- 
cal energy.  This  explains  why  heat  is  developed  in  a 
chemical  process.  Every  chemical  process  can  be  called 
a  combustion.  In  a  violent  disturbance  of  the  atoms  and 
molecules  of  matter,  we  have  the  common  phenomena  of 
fire  and  light.  The  fact  is  that  heat  is  a  source  of  stored 
or  convertible  energy.  The  only  source  of  heat  at  the 
surface  of  the  earth  is  the  sun.  The  cell  must  obtain  heat 
or  energy  somewhere  with  which  to  produce  the  atomic 
changes  and  molecular  disturbances  or  chemical  actions 
and  changes  desired.  Without  heat  the  cell  could  not 
produce  the  products  required  like  fats,  starches  and 
sugars,  any  more  than  man  could  produce  his  works  of 
art  or.  products  from  the  factory  where  chemical  action 
or  heat  is  requjred.  The  productions  of  the  cell  with 
which  plants  and  animals  are  put  together  are  products 
of  art.  They  are  products  that  the  forces  of  nature  cannot 
produce.  The  irons  and  metals  can  never  build  an  engine 
nor  can  the  stones  and  brick  produce  a  house. 


50      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 

The  blind  forces  of  nature  must  be  guided  by  an  intel- 
lect toward  a  purpose.  To  build  a  machine  the  ore  must 
be  lifted  from  the  mines,  smelted  into  plates  and  bars. 
These  again  must  be  forged  into  the  shapes  and  sizes  to 
fit  into  every  part  of  the  machine.  The  cell  will  produce 
food  and  building  mate'rial  for  future  use  in  precisely  the 
same  manner  as  man  will  get  the  iron  ore  from  the  mines 
and  melt  it  into  plates  for  future  use.  The  intellect  of 
cell  or  man  shows  the  same  wisdom,  foresight,  and  pur- 
pose. The  laws  of  matter  and  motion,  cause  and  effect 
which  we  have  found  are  always  the  same  in  the  universe, 
will  prevent  the  ores  from  coming  out  of  the  mountain 
and  building  a  steam  engine.  These  same  laws  will  also 
prevent  the  material  forces  from  producing  plants  and 
animals.  There  must  be  a  living  being  with  an  intellect 
to  guide  the  matter  and  force  towards  a  fixed  purpose. 

The  heat  required  to  melt  iron  and  metals  is  usually 
very  high,  so  the  cell  does  not  use  iron,  brass,  copper,  etc., 
but  such  material  as  carbon,  hydrogen,  sulphur,  phos- 
phorous, chlorin,  potassium,  sodium,  magnesia,  etc.  By 
the  aid  of  the  heat  obtained  from  the  sun,  the  cell  is  able 
to  mix  and  combine  the  atoms  of  these  elements  into  such 
material  as  may  be  required  for  future  use  in  building  up 
and  maintaining  himself,  plants  or  animals.  The  reduc- 
tion of  carbonic  acid  and  water  into  carbohydrates  is  done 
through  the  assistance  and  direction  of  the  cells  and  from 
the  sun  they  get  their  power  and  energy.  Left  to  itself, 
we  know  that  the  sun  could  produce  nothing/  Products 
of  art  must  be  resorted  to  just  as  man  takes  advantage 
of  photograph  cameras  and  lenses  or  burning  mirrors.  It 
is  very  clear  that  the  cell  also  -must  use  similar  artificial 
means  with  which  to  accomplish  the  results  required.  It 
seems  clear  that  the  cells  have  invented,  constructed  and 
possess  artificial  devices  with  which  they  ran  gather  and 


WHAT  IS  LIFE?  51 

direct  the  heat  or  energy  of  the  sun  and  thereby  mold  mat- 
ter and  direct  the  actions  of  the  atoms  of  matter  as  they 
wish.  At  any  rate  we  know  that  the  sun  may  shine  on 
carbonic  acid  arrd  water  until  eternity  without  producing 
fats,  carbohydrates  and  proteids.  Without  the  intellect 
of  the  living  being  we  call  cell  interfering,  they  would 
not  be  produced.  The  carbohydrates  produced  by  the 
cells  of  plants  are  products  of  art  and  so  are  all  the  prod- 
ucts of  cells. 

Knowing  it  to  be  a  scientific  fact  that  matter  and  force, 
•gravity,  chemical  affinity,  etc.  will  behave  just  the  same 
everywhere  in  the  universe,  we  know  that  the  cell  (whom 
we  also  know  to  be  a  living  animal  or  being)  must  employ 
the  same  methods  as  man  to  effect  his  purpose  and  de- 
sires. Without  intelligence  man  could  not  produce  his 
products  of  art  and  it  must  be  perfectly  clear  that  the  cell 
must  employ  the  same  means  and  be  possessed  of  the 
same  quality  or  power  in  order  to  be  able  to  produce  his 
products. 

Years  ago  before  we  had  produced  a  microscope  power- 
ful enough  to  see  the  cell,  we  could  see  particles  of  matter 
take  their  place  and  arrange  themselves  in  order  so  as  to 
become  collectively  plants  or  animals,  whose  parts  bore 
a  strict  relation  to  the  whole.  From  our  knowledge  of 
matter  we  knew  that  it  could  not  act  in  that  way  towards 
a  purpose  unless  it  was  guided  by  the  intellect  of  some 
being  similar  to  our  own,  no  more  so  than  brick  and  stone 
could  take-  their  place  in  the  construction  of  a  house  with- 
out being  guided  by  the  intellect  of  some  living  being. 
The  thinker  and  observer  could  then  as  he  can  today,  see 
that  matter  was  guided  by  a  mind  similar  to  his  own, 
towards  a  purpose.  There  seemed  to  be  an  invisible 
spirit  in  charge,  directing  atoms  and  particles  of  matter, 
which  also  proved  to  be  the  fact. 


52  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

A  being  that  is  invisible  is  called  a  spirit.  The  cell  is 
now  no  longer  the  spiritual  being  which  he  was  a  few 
years  ago,  but  is  a  material  living  being.  We  can  now  see 
this  being  in  charge  and  that  he  is  the  cause  of  matter 
growing  into  a  plant  or  animal.  He  is  the  cause  in  the 
same  manner  as  man  is  the  cause  of  bricks  and  stones 
growing  into  a  house.  The  designers  and  builders  of 
plants  and  animals  were  to  us  spiritual  beings  because  we 
could  not  see  them.  In  the  same  way  the  designers  and 
builders  of  skyscrapers  and  battleships  would  be  spiritual 
beings  to  us  if  we  could  not  get  near  enough  to  the  struc- 
tures to  see  the  builders.  The  builders  of  the  cell  are  at  this 
time  passing  from  the  spiritual  condition  into  the  mate- 
rial, because  at  this  time  we  can  just  barely  see  them  and 
not  plainly  enough  to  be  able  to  say  just  what  they  are. 
We  find  the  cell  is  no  primitive  organism.  He  is  again  a 
colony  of  primordial  beings,  which  are,  in  fact,  the  real 
actors  and  workers. 

The  cell  is  an  animal  that  has  evolved  naturally  from 
the  smaller  primordial  beings  in  the  same  mariner  that 
plants  and  animals  have  come  to  exist  by  natural  evolu- 
tion of  the  cell.  It  would  seem  that  the  cells  who  can 
make  food  and  building  material  by  the  aid  of  heat  from 
the  sun,  came  into  existence  first.  It  is  not  likely  that 
the  heat  from  the  sun  was  used  by  the  cells  until  after 
the  earth  had  cooled  down  to  a  certain  temperature.  It 
is  likely  that  the  heat  used  by  the  cells  ages  ago  in  the 
huge  production  of  vegetable  matter  disclosed  by  the 
coal  deposits  was  the  heat  from  the  earth  and  not  the 
sun.  It  is  generally  understood  that  life  cannot  exist 
without  sunlight,  air,  water  and  food,  but  it  begins  to 
appear  now  that  life  can  exist  almost  indefinitely  with- 
out any  of  these.  The  seeds  from  many  plants,  I  know 
from  my  own  knowledge,  can  live  from  five  to  fifteen 


WHAT  IS  LIFE?  53 

years,  and  it  is  claimed  that  some  can  live  a  much  longer 
time  under  conditions  where  they  are  noc  attacked  by 
other  cells  or  bacteria.  This  also  goes  to  show  that  the 
cell  must  have  fuel,  air,  heat  and  water  when  he  is  active 
producing  living  structures  just  as  man  must  have  when 
he  is  building  and  running  factories,  railroads,  etc. 

The  microscope  disclosed  to  us  a  new  world.  If  they 
had  told  us  years  ago  that  a  drop  of  water  contained 
hundreds  of  living  animals  that  eat,  drink,  fight,  love 
and  reproduce,  they  would  have  had  a  hard  time  making 
us  believe  it.  The  school  boy  or  anyone  else  today  is 
compelled  to  admit  that  it  is  a  fact,  because  through  a 
microscope  he  can  see  it  with  his  own  eye. 

Now  since  a  world  of  teeming  animal  life  really  ex- 
isted, which  was  not  known  to  us  because  we  did  not 
have  eyes  suitable  or  powerful  enough  with  which 
to  see  it,  does  it  not  seem  plausible  that  there  must 
still  exist  a  world  of  still  more  microscopic  proportions, 
which  we  shall  probably  see  some  day?  When  that  time 
comes  the  builder  of  the  cell  will  no  more  be  a  spiritual 
being,  but  probably  a  material  living  animal  or  being  as 
the  cell  is  today.  It  is  easy  to  see  what  the  materials 
are  which  the  plant  cells  work  up  into  building  material 
for  their  habitation  or  colonies,  which  we  call  plants  and 
animals.  We  also  know  that  they  use  the  heat  and 
energy  of  the  sun  as  a  power.  The  atmosphere  contains 
oxygen,  nitrogen,  carbonic  acid  and  ammonia.  The  soil 
contains  silica,  iron,  lime,  potash,  phosphorous,  sulphur 
and  ammoniacal  salts.  The  soil  and  atmosphere  contain 
all  the  material  which  is  found  in  animals  and  plants  and 
in  the  same  manner  we  can  point  out  the  raw  material 
contained  in  a  railroad  or  battleship,  but  the  cells,  the 
builders,  must  separate,  join  and  place  the  material  in 
exactly  the  right  place  and  in  correct  proportions  to 


54      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

effect  the  purpose  desired.  To  do  this  it  is  just  as  neces- 
sary for  the  cell  to  be  skilled  and  intelligent  as  it  is  for 
man.  It  has  been  repeatedly  shown  that  the  smallest 
cell,  known  as  germ  or  bacterium,  is  constantly  changing 
its  habits  and  methods  of  life,  and  that  any  common, 
harmless  species  of  germ  may  change  its  method  of  liv- 
ing and  become  a  disease  germ.  Leahman  and  Neuman, 
the  best  authorities  on  this  subject,  state :  "The  division 
of  bacteria  into  pathogenic  and  non-pathogenic,  etc.  as 
is  still  always  done  in  textbooks,  has  failed  absolutely. 
We  can  understand  and  know  the  pathogenic  variety 
only  if  we  study  simultaneously  the  non-pathogenic 
from  which  the  former  have  once  originated  and  still 
always  originate."  They  then  go  on  and  show  that 
the  different  disease  germs,  such  as  typhoid,  diphtheria, 
scarlet  fever,  etc.,  can  be  changed  from  one  to  the  other 
by  cultivation  in  different  places  and  conditions.  This 
is  very  significant  to  show  how  life  in  the  microscopic 
world  is  a  struggle  for  existence  and  how  the  cell  in 
every  place  in  life  prepares  and  adapts  itself  to  condi- 
tions. It  is  the  same  in  the  microscopic  world  as  in  our 
world,  everything  is  in  a  state  of  evolution  and  change 
there,  as  well  as  elsewhere.  Evolution  itself  shows  that 
there  is  a  struggle  for  a  purpose.  Evolution  really  proves 
intelligence  because  it  means  progress  step  by  step.  The 
cell  will  progress  and  build  a  tree  or  animal  step  by  step 
in  the  same  manner  that  man  produces  his  structures. 

In  order  to  cause  matter  to  evolve  in  a  certain  direc- 
tion to  produce  a  certain  end  or  structure,  and  none 
other,  the  material  must  be  directed  and  guided  by  in- 
telligence, as  we  do  not  find  property  or  matter  any- 
where with  a  tendency  to  develop  towards  any  purpose. 
Desire  and  will  of  the  cell  must  be  back  of  matter  to 
produce  the  organic  or  living  things  we  see.  Man, 


WHAT  IS  LIFE?  55 

animals,  plants  and  cells  all  show  the  same  intellect  in 
their  places  in  life.  How  could  it  be  otherwise  when  we 
consider  the  fact  that  man,  animals  and  plants  are  also 
cells?  If  the  products  and  industry  of  man  arise  from 
his  desire  and  ideas,  so  must  also  the  industry  and  prod- 
ucts of  the  cell.  Insects  will  build  a  nest  of  clay  and 
other  material,  lay  their  eggs  in  it  and  provide  food  for 
the  young,  which  they  will  never  see.  Insects  will  do  all 
these  things  without  having  had  any  previous  instruc- 
tions. The  philosopher  and  thinker  would  observe  these 
marvelous  actions  and  adaptations  involving  so  many 
different  ideas,  and  he  would  say,  how  is  it  possible  for 
mere  matter  to  pursue  a  purpose  involving  such  com- 
plicated plans  and  combinations  of  ideas?  He  would 
say  that  the  insect  or  matter  of  which  it  was  composed 
was  in  charge  of  or  guided  by  a  Divine  Will  or  invisible 
being  or  spirit.  We  find  now  that  the  thinker  and  ob- 
server was  correct. 

The  insect  was,  in  fact,  built  by,  was  in  the  charge  of 
and  guided  by  an  intelligent  living  being  we  call  cell. 
They  were  to  us  at  that  time  invisible,  so  they  were 
correctly  called  Spiritual  Beings.  We  see  battleships 
and  submarines  move  about  on  the  surface  of  the  water 
like  ducks.  They  signal  each  other  in  like  manner,  and 
from  all  appearances  and  from  their  actions  an  observer 
and  thinker  would  be  compelled  to  say,  looking  at  them 
from  a  distance,  that  they  were  directed  and  guided  by 
spirits  or  some  other  intelligence.  However,  if  he  could 
use  field  glasses  or  the  telescope  or  could  get  nearer,  so 
as  to  be  able  to  see  the  beings  in  charge  of  the  boats,  he 
would  discover  the  beings  or  animals  in  charge  of  the 
battleships  and  these  spirits  would  change  into  material 
living  beings  and  the  mystery  would  be  solved.  Every 
part  of  a  body  or  plant  reveals  its  use — for  instance,  the 


56  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 

lungs  reveal  their  use.  It  is  the  same  in  the  battleship 
or  other  structure  produced  by  man.  Every  part  of  ship 
or  machine  is  made  for  a  certain  purpose.  Oxygen  of  the 
air  is  necessary  to  produce  heat  and  power  in  the  battle- 
ship, so  chimneys  are  provided  to  draw  the  air  into  the 
furnace.  The  gills  are  machines  to  separate  the  oxygen 
from  water,  and  lungs  to  separate  it  from  air.  When  we 
see  the  parts  we  know  for  what  purpose  they  have  been 
made.  When  we  see  a  part  of  a  battleship  or  railroad, 
we  know  what  it  is  for  unless  we  are  very  ignorant  like 
the  savage.  In  like  manner  when  we  see  a  part  of  a  plant 
or  animal  we  know  what  it  is  made  for  and  that  it  is 
made  by  the  cell. 

The  intention  and  purpose  reveals  the  same  intellect 
in  both  cases.  Just  as  man  in  possession  of  the  same 
building  material  of  metals,  bricks,  wood,  etc.  can  con- 
struct buildings  and  machines  very  different  from  each 
other,  so  also  can  the  cells  with  the  material  they  possess 
in  the  elements,  produce  organs  of  plants  and  animals 
very  different  in  external  form  and  appearance.  The 
savage  or  an  ignorant  man  looking  at  a  battleship  or 
complicated  machine,  would  have  no  comprehension  how 
the  ship  or  machine  had  come  to  exist  or  had  been  put 
together.  So  today,  too,  many  people  who  have  not 
studied  life  and  the  cause  and  composition  of  living 
structures,  cannot  form  any  conception  of  what  a  plant 
or  animal  really  is. 

The  brain  of  the  bee  contains  only  a  few  cells  and  is 
invisible  except  when  viewed  by  the  microscope.  Still 
these  cells  in  the  brain  of  the  bee,  who  direct  all  his 
actions,  will  manage  a  very  effective  battle  against  in- 
telligent man,  as  will  appear  from  the  following,  from 
my  daily  paper : 

"Oakdale,  Cal. — Forty  school  children  were  held  pris- 


WHAT  IS  LIFE?  57 

oners  for  half  a  day  at  Langworth  school  recently  by  a 
buzzing  swarm  of  bees,  which  finally  broke  up  the  school 
for  the  day. 

"The  bees  had  lived  in  one  corner  of  the  roof  for 
weeks,  and  had  been  undisturbed  until  some  of  the 
youngsters  threw  clods  and  dislodged  the  hive.  The 
bees  attacked  their  tormentors,  who  took  refuge  in  the 
school  house.  Miss  Ida  Warford,  the  teacher,  put  her 
head  out  of  the  door  to  see  the  cause  of  the  commotion 
and  was  stung  on  the  nose.  Hundreds  of  bees  swarmed 
into  the  half  opened  door  and  the  children  sought  refuge 
in  the  next  room  while  the  teacher  and  the  older  boys 
did  battle  with  the  bees  with  wet  cloths  and  whatever 
weapons  they  had  handy.  They,  too,  were  finally  forced 
into  the  other  room,  and  the  entire  school  was  made  pris- 
oner until  some  of  the  parents,  alarmed  at  the  absence 
of  their  children,  came  to  the  rescue.  They  were  forced 
to  flee,  too,  but  finally  came  back  armed  with  sulphur  with 
which  they  routed  the  bees." 

What  possible  difference  can  there  be  in  the  intelligence 
evidenced  by  these  people  and  the  bees,  fighting  each 
other.  The  bees  will  behave  and  bother  no  one  if  left 
alone  but  in  defence  of  their  home  and  colony,  they  will 
fight  to  the  last.  In  what  manner  do  the  actions  of  man 
differ  from  those  of  the  bee?  The  cells  that  make  the 
bee  have  had  to  fight  animals  for  ages,  and  they  are 
equipped  with  a  poisoned  dagger  of  a  deadly  character. 
Man  was  originally  made  not  to  fight  but  to  escape  from 
enemies  through  the  trees  from  branch  to  branch.  For 
that  reason,  he  is  a  very  helpless  victim  in  a  fight  with 
other  animals,  but  since  his  discovery  of  the  club  he  has 
been  king  in  the  animal  world,  and  has  since  been  pro- 
gressing very  rapidly.  While  he  was  fighting  only  a 
few  years  ago  with  clubs,  spears,  bows  and  arrows,  etc., 


58      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

he  is  now  fighting  with  liquid  fire.  The  bees  first  con- 
quered the  teacher  and  the  school  children  and  then 
chased  the  farmers  home.  The  farmers  came  back  with 
reinforcements  and  fought  the  bees  with  fire  and  poison- 
ous gases.  The  bees  fight  with  poisoned  daggers  and 
man  fights  with  deadly  gases.  Both  sides  fight  with 
poison  in  defence  of  their  children.  In  what  manner  do 
they  differ  in  their  actions  as  intelligent  beings?  The 
cells  building  the  bee  must  make  the  dagger  and  prepare 
the  poison  for  a  purpose,  just  as  man  does  in  his  actions 
of  foresight  and  preparedness.  The  cells  in  the  head  of 
the  bee,  as  well  as  in  man,  are  the  parties  who  direct  all 
the  actions  of  this  battle,  and  I  fail  to  see  any  difference 
in  their  intellectual  capacity. 

Not  long  ago  we  had  no  microscope  enabling  us  to  see 
the  builders  of  a  plant  or  animal.  At  that  time  we  were 
compelled  to  say  that  they  simply  grew  but  now  we  have 
seen  the  builder,  and  the  next  question  is, — how  are 
those  builders  able  to  build  these  structures?  In  order 
to  be  able  to  discover  the  real  cause,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  first  inquire  into  the  inner  life  of  these  builders,  how 
they  live,  eat  and  multiply,  how  and  where  they  get  their 
ideas  and  building  material.  That  would  be  the  only 
sensible  way  to  find  out  how  the  sky  scraper  was  con- 
structed. We  have  penetrated  far  enough  into  the  mys- 
teries of  matter,  molecule,  atom,  and  electron.  We  can 
at  this  time  clearly  see  that  matter  and  force  in  the  uni- 
verse is  everywhere  the  same;  they  always  follow  fixed 
laws  and  cannot  be  destroyed.  The  form  and  nature  of 
the  energy  can  be  changed  from  one  to  the  other ;  for 
instance,  in  the  dynamo  we  see  mechanical  energy  trans- 
formed into  electrical  energy,  which  in  turn  may  be 
transformed  into  heat  energy  in  the  electric  furnace ;  or 
the  electric  energy  may  be  transmitted  to  a  distance  and 


WHAT  IS  LIFE?  59 

be  converted  once  more  into  mechanical  motion  by  means 
of  the  electric  motor.  The  kinetic  energy  of  a  waterfall 
may  be  transformed  into  mechanical  energy  by  means  of 
the  old-fashioned  mill  wheel,  and  we  might  go  on  in  this 
manner  considering  one  series  of  transformations  after 
another.  The  force  of  a  living  being  is  different  from 
these  natural  forces  in  this,  that  it  directs  and  guides  the 
natural  forces  to  its  own  purposes. 

Not  many  years  ago  we  did  not  know  that  cells  pro- 
duced the  trees,  plants  and  animals  we  see, — we  did  not 
know  that  those  builders  existed.  When  I  first  became 
interested  in  nature  and  biology,  we  were  told  by  the 
scientists  that  the  cause  of  plant  growth  was  endosmosis 
and  crystallization.  We  know  now  that  the  plants  and  ani- 
mals that  we  see  are  structures  produced  by  smaller 
animals  we  call  cells.  By  reason  of  a  more  powerful  eye 
made  partly  by  ourselves  and  partly  by  the  cell,  we  can 
see  these  individuals.  The  cell  makes  our  eyes  as  nearly 
suitable  for  every  day  use  as  he  thinks  best,  but  for  a 
further  special  use  like  seeing  smaller  things  like  cells, 
or  for  distant  objects  like  planets,  we  add  to  or  change 
the  arrangement  of  the  lenses  of  the  eye  to  effect  the 
purpose  desired.  It  requires  just  as  much  intelligence 
to  build  the  eye  in  the  first  place  as  to  change  it  for  any 
special  or  particular  purpose  afterwards.  The  cell  is  not 
a  mass  of  matter  composed  of  electrons,  atoms  or  mole- 
cules, but  is  a  highly  organized  and  specialized  living 
being.  We  shall  find  that  he  is  made  up  of  possibly 
millions  of  still  smaller  living  beings.  It  seems  clear  that 
the  only  method  to  solve  the  mystery  of  life  is  to  more 
completely  investigate  the  inner  life  of  the  cell  and  put 
all  the  questions  to  him. 

It  seems  to  me  the  only  reason  that  so  many  ideas  and 
differences  of  opinion  about  life  have  arisen  is  the  fact 


60      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

that  we  have  not  been  able  to  look  upon  the  cell  as  the 
primary  source  of  life  and  intelligence.  The  mechanical 
side  could  see  nothing  but  matter  and  force,  the  other 
side  could  see  nothing  but  mind  and  intelligence  back  of 
it.  The  fact  seems  to  be  clear,  that  the  same  mind  and 
intelligence  is  back  of  the  production  of  plants  and  ani- 
mals, in  the  same  way  and  to  the  same  extent  that  mind 
and  intelligence  is  back  of  all  those  structures  produced 
by  man.  In  either  case  the  mind  and  intelligence  is  and 
must  be  in  the  actual  builder  of  these  structures. 

We  know  that  it  is  not  matter  that  is  building  plants 
and  animals.  It  is  the  microscopic  wonder  we  call  the 
cell.  We  must  remember  that  life  came  into  existence 
millions  of  years  ago  and  how  it  started  we  can  only 
guess.  It  has  had  time  to  develop  in  so  many  millions 
of  ways  that  we  cannot  hope  to  comprehend  just  how  it 
came  to  be  in  the  condition  that  we  now  find  it.  We  all 
have  a  right  to  guess  on  that  subject.  We  know  that  life 
is  not  heat  because  it  can  exist  in  a  frozen  condition  for  a 
long  time;  the  seeds  of  wild  plants  live  in  the  frozen 
north  for  years.  Some  experiments  of  late  go  to  show 
that  fish  can  be  frozen  for  months  in  solid  ice  and  live 
when  thawed  out,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  following 
clipping  from  a  Scientific  Journal :  "The  feat  of  freezing 
live  fish  and  reviving  them  several  weeks  or  months  later 
has  been  achieved  by  the  Swiss  scientist,  M.  Pictet.  The 
scientist  put  twenty-eight  live  fish  in  a  box  that  contained 
water  rich  in  oxygen,  in  which  several  pieces  of  ice 
floated.  The  temperature  of  the  water  was  then  reduced 
slowly  until  it  froze.  At  the  end  of  about  two  months 
the  cake  was  gradually  thawed  and  the  fish,  it  is  said, 
were  found  alive.  In  such  an  experiment,  the  scientist 
reports,  it  is  essential  that  the  water  be  gradually  frozen 
and  that  it  shall  have  contained  pieces  of  ice  for  from 


WHAT  IS  LIFE?  61 

fifteen  to  eighteen  hours  before  the  whole  mass  is  frozen. 
The  process  of  thawing  must  also  be  slow. 

"Through  this  process  it  is  believed  that  Siberian  stur- 
geon and  Alaskan  salmon  can  be  exported  alive  to  dis- 
tant markets." 

It  is  clear  that  life  is  not  sunlight  nor  has  sunlight  pro- 
duced life  because  the  lower  organisms  or  cells  such  as 
bacteria  are  disorganized  and  destroyed  by  sunlight.  We 
also  know  that  life  is  not  electricity  or  magnetism  because 
we  see  this  force  employed  only  by  some  animals  and  not 
by  others  as  in  the  great  electric  eel  of  Africa  where  the 
electric  organs  weigh  more  than  one-third  of  the  entire 
fish.  Life  is  not  any  of  the  forces  of  nature  that  we  have 
yet  discovered.  The  cell  is  the  animal  that  contains  life. 
We  contain  life  because  we  contain  the  cells,  in  the  same 
manner  as  a  ship  contains  life  because  it  contains  people. 
The  cell  builds  with  the  crude  elements  of  matter  and 
force  in  the  universe  in  the  same  manner  as  man  does. 
In  answer  then  to  the  question,  what  is  life, — we  are 
compelled  to  say  that  it  is  the  activities  and  products  of 
the  living  animal  or  being  we  call  cell. 


CHAPTER  III. 
THE  CELL. 

We  shall  now  investigate  the  inner  life  of  the  cell  as 
far  as  we  can  go  with  the  evidence  at  hand  up  to  the 
present  time. 

I  shall  try  not  to  deal  with  the  speculative  side  of  the 
subject  any  more  than  will  be  necessary  to  show  up  some 
of  the  problems  yet  to  be  solved.  Some  of  the  theories 
will'be  referred  to  in  order  to  show  where  we  are  at,  and 
which  will  point  to  further  investigation  of  the  facts. 
This  chapter  will  attempt  to  discuss  the  actions  of  the 
cell  in  reference  to  his  inner  life,  his  methods,  appearance 
and  actions.  No  distinction  will  be  made  between  animal 
building  cells,  single  cells  and  plant  building  cells,  as 
there  is  no  difference  in  their  primary  method  of  living 
and  reproduction. 

The  reader  must  understand  that  in  this  short  chapter 
no  complete  history  or  description  of  cell  life  can  be 
attempted.  All  I  can  do  is  to  briefly  outline  those  facts 
about  the  cell  that  now  seem  to  be  admitted,  so  that  the 
reader  can  see  for  himself  what  kind  of  an  animal  or 
being  the  cell  appears  to  be.  We  shall  consider  the  cell 
mainly  under  two  heads :  First — Its  general  appearance, 
structure  and  organs.  Second — How  they  multiply  and 
increase  in  numbers. 

In  my  investigation  of  books  discussing  the  life  of  the 
cell,  I  found  Edmund  B.  Wilson,  professor  of  zoology  of 


THE  CELL  63 

Columbia  University,  New  York,  about  the  best  writer 
on  this  subject  and  shall  quote  him  more  than  anyone 
else,  to  show  the  reader  what  we  know  about  the  cell  at 
this  time.  I  think  he  is  very  careful  in  his  statements, 
and  does  not  state  any  propositions  as  true  unless  ad- 
mitted and  backed  up  by  very  good  authority.  The  fol- 
lowing is  a  part  of  his  introduction  to  the  study  of  the  life 
of  the  cell : 

"Among  the  lowest  forms  at  the  base  of  the  series  are 
an  immense  number  of  microscopic  plants  and  animals, 
familiar  examples  of  which  are  the  bacteria,  diatoms, 
rhizopods  and  Infusoria,  in  which  the  entire  body  con- 
sists of  a  single  cell,  of  the  same  general  type  as  those 
which  in  the  higher  multicellular  forms  are  associated  to 
form  one  organic  whole.  Structurally,  therefore,  the 
multicellular  body  is  in  a  certain  sense  comparable  with 
a  colony  or  aggregation  of  the  lower  one  celled  forms. 
This  comparison  is  not  less  suggestive  to  the  physiologist 
than  to  the  morphologist.  In  the  one  celled  forms  all  of 
the  vital  functions  are  performed  by  a  single  cell.  In  the 
multicellular  forms,  on  the  other  hand,  these  functions 
are  not  equally  performed  by  all  the  cells,  but  in  varying 
degree  distributed  among  them,  the  cells  thus  falling  into 
physiological  groups  or  tissues,  each  of  which  is  espe- 
cially devoted  to  the  performance  of  a  specific  function. 
Thus  arises  the  "physiological  division  of  labor"  through 
which  alone  the  highest  development  of  vital  activity 
becomes  possible  and  thus  the  cell  becomes  a  unit  not 
merely  of  structure  but  also  of  function.  Each  bodily 
function  and  even  the  life  of  the  organism  as  a  whole  may 
thus  in  one  sense  be  regarded  as  resultant,  arising  through 
the  integration  of  a  vast  number  of  cell-activities ;  and  it 
cannot  be  adequately  investigated  without  the  study  of 
the  individual  cell  activities  that  lie  at  its  root." 


64 


CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 


This  description  is  practically  the  same  as  the  one  I 
quoted  earlier  from  our  High  School  Physiology.  You 
notice  the  same  statement,  that  whether  the  structures 
of  life  are  plant  or  animal  they  are  based  on  the  cell.  Now 
the  first  thing  the  reader  will  want  to  know  is  this,  has 
the  cell  special  organs  and  how  does  it  look?  Fig.  3  is  a 


*ttraction-«;ihtre  enclosing  two  centrosomes. 


Plastids  lying  in  the 
cytoplasm 


ucleus 


Vacuole 


Passive  bodies  (met 
plasm  or  paraplasn 
suspended  in  the  c; 
tc/plasmic  meshwoi 


FIG.  3.— The  Dia_ 

numerous   minute   granules  (microtomes) 
substance. — WILSON. 


jnd   traversing  a  transpa 


•k  containing 
rent  ground- 


general  sketch  of  this  animal  as  it  looks  through  a  power- 
ful microscope.  The  cell  is  a  complete  animal  made  up 
of  still  smaller  individuals  and  organs  just  as  a  larger 
animal  is.  It  has  a  head  or  directing  center,  which  seems 
to  direct  the  actions  of  the  other  parts.  This  directing 
center  is  called  the  centrosome.  Then  it  has  a  bunch  of 


THE  CELL  65 

sub-heads  or  skilled  workers  who  are  located  in  the 
middle  of  the  body  of  the  cell.  These  skilled  workers 
have  charge  of  all  work  in  general.  They  seem  to  be  the 
part  of  the  cell  which  contains  the  power,  knowledge  and 
skill  to  perform  the  different  kinds  of  work  which  the 
cell  is  required  to  do  in  order  to  exist.  These  specifically 
skilled  workers  located  in  the  middle  of  the  body  of  the 
cell  are  called  the  nucleus,  and  appear  to  be  not  one 
individual,  but  a  very  large  colony  of  individuals.  That 
this  part  of  the  cell  called  the  nucleus  is  the  part  which 
has  the  power  and  knowledge  of  how  to  build  the  differ- 
ent structures  in  life,  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  if  this  is 
destroyed,  the  cell  cannot  do  any  more  work  nor  repro- 
duce itself  nor  feed  itself.  In  the  same  manner  an  animal 
is  made  helpless  and  is  generally  destroyed  by  the  re- 
moval of  its  head.  Besides  the  body,  head,  sub-head  or 
skilled  worker,  it  also  has  some  sort  of  covering  and  a 
number  of  other  special  organs,  not  yet  understood. 

The  cells  are  not  all  of  the  same  size.  Some  are  more 
highly  organized  than  others  and  very  likely  contain  a 
larger  number  of  the  primordial  cells  of  which  they  are 
composed,  and  other  special  purpose  cells.  The  smallest 
are  the  bacteria ;  then  come  the  fungi  and  plant  cells ;  the 
largest  are  the  animal  building  cells  and  those  similar  to 
them  who  live  separate  lives  in  the  water  and  do  not 
build  colonies  like  plants  and  animals.  My  school  book 
on  botany  describes  these  smaller  cells  such  as  bacteria, 
plant  cells  and  fungi  in  the  following  language : 

"It  would  be  hard  to  imagine  a  simpler  plant,  and  the 
plant  kingdom  can  be  thought  of  as  beginning  with  in- 
dividuals consisting  of  one  green  cell  and  reproducing 
by  division.  This  one  cell,  however,  absorbs  material, 
makes  food,  assimilates  it,  conducts  respiration,  etc.,  in 
fact,  does  all  the  work  of  living  carried  on  by  plants  with 


66     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

roots,  stems  and  leaves,  although  they  may  contain  mil- 
lions of  cells 

"Bounding  the  cell  there  is  a  thin  elastic  cell-wall  com- 
posed of  a  substance  called  cellulose.  The  cell-wall, 
therefore,  constitutes  a  delicate  sac,  which  contains  the 
living  substance.  It  is  the  substance  that  has  formed 
the  wall  about  itself  in  the  same  sense  that  a  snail  deposits 
the  shell  about  its  body.  It  is  organized  into  various 
structures  which  are  called  organs  of  the  cell.  One  of 
the  most  conspicuous  organs  is  the  nucleus,  a  compara- 
tively compact  and  usually  a  spherical  body  and  gener- 
ally centrally  placed  within  the  cell. 

"The  fungi  do  not  contain  chlorophyll  and  this  fact 
forms  the  sharpest  contrast  between  them  and  the  algae. 
The  presence  of  the  chlorophyll  enables  the  algae  to  be 
independent  of  any  other  organism  since  they  can  manu- 
facture their  food  out  of  carbon-dioxide  and  water.  The 
absence  of  chlorophyll  compels  the  fungi  to  be  depen- 
dent upon  other  organisms  for  their  food.  This  food  is 
obtained  in  two  general  ways:  either  (1)  directly  from 
living  plants  and  animals,  or  (2)  from  organic  waste 
products  or  dead  bodies.  In  case  a  living  body  is  at- 
tacked, the  attacking  fungus  is  called  a  parasite  and  the 
plant  or  animal  attacked,  the  host.  In  case  the  food  is 
obtained  in  the  other  way,  the  fungus  is  called  a  sapro- 
phyte. For  example — the  rust  that  attacks  wheat  is  a 
parasite  and  the  wheat  is  the  host ;  while  the  mold  which 
often  develops  on  stale  bread  is  a  saprophyte. 

"Bacteria  include  the  smallest  known  living  forms. 
Even  to  distinguish  ordinary  bacteria,  the  highest  powers 
of  the  microscope  are  necessary  and  to  study  them  is  too 
difficult  for  the  untrained  student.  However,  they  are  so 
very  important  to  man  on  account  of  their  useful  and 
destructive  operations  that  every  student  should  have 


THE   CELL  67 

some  information  about  them.  Public  attention  has  been 
drawn  to  them  chiefly  on  account  of  the  part  they  play  in 
many  infectious  diseases,  in  which  connection  they  are 
often  referred  to  as  'microbes'  or  'germs'." 

I  have  now  given  a  general  description  of  the  different 
classes  of  cells  known  as  plant  cells,  animal  cells,  single 
cells  and  bacteria.  However,  all  scientists  agree  that 
they  are  all  of  the  same  family ;  that  they  are  all  alike  as 
far  as  inner  structure  of  life  is  concerned ;  that  they  differ 
only  in  size,  outside  covering  and  appearance.  They  use 
different  methods  of  obtaining  their  food  and  perpetuat- 
ing their  existence. 

I  wish  to  have  this  part  perfectly  clear  to  the  reader, 
that  all  living  things  are  either  cells  living  singly  and 
alone  as  separate  individuals  which  we  call  single  cells, 
like  bacteria  and  others,  or  else  a  colony  of  cells  number- 
ing up  into  the  billions,  like  plants,  animals  or  trees, 
where  the  cells  all  work  together  for  the  benefit  of  all. 
As  long  as  the  tree  or  animal  lives,  they  all  live,  but  if 
the  tree  or  animal  dies,  it  is  the  cells  in  the  tree  or  animal 
that  die.  By  reason  of  the  higher  power  microscope  now 
made,  it  has  been  shown  that  the  cell  is  made  up  of  still 
smaller  cells.  These  smaller  units  of  life,  which  I  would 
call  primordial  cells,  have  been  described  by  various 
authors  under  a  number  of  different  names.  The  follow- 
ing are  some  of  the  names  given  to  these  hypothetical 
units  of  which  the  cell  is  supposed  to  be  composed :  Gem- 
mules,  pangens,  plasomes,  micellae,  Plastidules,  Bio- 
phores,  bioplasts,  somacules,  idioplasms,  idiosomes,  bio- 
gens,  microsomes,  gemmae.  This  is  only  a  partial  list  of 
the  names  and  they  all  mean  the  same.  Each  name  rep- 
resents a  different  author  and  generally  a  different  theory. 
While  these  theories  are  interesting,  they  are  as  yet  only 


68     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

theories,  as  the  units  that  make  up  the  cell  are  too  small 
to  be  clearly  seen  by  any  microscope  yet  invented. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  cell  organs  that  we  are 
able  to  see  like  the  centrosome,  nucleus,  vacuole,  chromo- 
tophore  and  many  others,  are  large  crowds  of  these  units 
located  at  different  places  in  the  cell  body  to  perform 
special  and  different  kinds  of  work.  Some  digest  food, 
some  effect  respiration,  some  move  the  body,  some  manu- 
facture food,  etc.  As  these  crowds  are  divided  up  in  the 
cell  to  do  different  kinds  of  work,  they  look  different.  In 
this  way  the  cell  has  organs  with  which  to  perform  its 
different  kinds  of  work,  just  as  our  bodies  have  organs  to 
effect  different  kinds  of  work.  In  reference  to  this,  Wil- 
son states : 

"Closely  interrelated  as  the  cell  organs  are,  they  have  a 
remarkable  degree  of  morphological  independence.  They 
assimilate  food,  grow  and  divide  and  perform  their  own 
characteristic  actions,  like  co-existant  but  independent 
organisms  of  a  lower  grade  than  the  cell,  living  together 
in  colonial,  or  symbionic  association.  Yet  we  may  still 
inquire  whether  the  power  of  division  shown  by  such 
protoplasm  masses  as  plastids,  chromosomes,  centro- 
somes,  nuclei,  may  not  have  its  root  in  a  like  power  resid- 
ing in  ultimate  protoplasmic  units  of  which  they  are  made 
up.  On  the  strength  of  these  facts  Boveri  concluded  that 
the  chromosomes  must  be  regarded  as  'individuals'  or 
elementary  organisms  that  have  an  independent  exist- 
ence in  the  cell. 

"The  highest  power  of  our  present  microscopes  have 
not  laid  bare  the  ultimate  organization  of  the  cell.  The 
cell  might  be  composed  of  more  elementary  units  ranking 
between  the  molecule  and  the  cell. 

"Whether  the  plastids  arise  solely  by  division  or  also 
by  new  formation,  the  foregoing  observations  on  the  plas- 


*HB  CELL  60 

tids  give  a  substantial  basis  for  the  hypothesis  that  pro- 
toplasm may  be  built  of  minute  dividing  bodies,  which 

form  its  ultimate  structural  basis The 

cell  is,  in  Burke's  words,  an  elementary  organism,  which 
may  by  itself  perform  all  the  characteristic  operations  of 
life,  as  in  the  case  with  a  unicellular  organism. 
Even  when  the  cell  is  but  a  constituent  unit  of  a  higher 
grade  or  organization  as  in  multicellular  forms,  it  is  no 
less  truly  an  organism  and  in  a  measure  leads  an  inde- 
pendent life,  even  though  its  functions  be  restricted  and 
subordinated  to  the  common  life." 

These  statements  by  Prof.  Wilson  show  that  the  cell, 
whether  living  his  separate  life  in  the  water  or  other 
places,  or  acting  as  one  of  the  units  that  make  up  the 
individual  animal  or  plant,  is  an  animal  that  has  the 
power  to  perform  all  the  functions  of  life.  They  also 
show  clearly  that  all  the  different  and  separate  special 
organs  of  the  cell  are  crowds  or  colonies  of  still  smaller 
cells  or  units  that  lead  individual  and  separate  lives 
within  the  body  of  the  cell ;  that  they  feed  and  multiply 
within  the  cell  in  the  same  manner  that  the  cell  lives  a 
separate  individual  life  within  the  body  of  plants  and 
animals.  It  shows  that  when  the  cell  divides  it  is  simply 
a  division  of  a  crowd  of  specifically  skilled  workers  or 
beings  and  that  when  the  cell  multiplies  by  division  each 
colony  of  specifically  skilled  workers  in  the  centrosome 
and  nucleus  divides  in  two  and  each  half  then  multiplies 
until  it  again  reaches  its  original  number  and  size  when 
it  is  ready  to  divide  again.  The  most  wonderful  thing  is 
the  centrosome  or  the  directing  center  of  the  cell,  which 
when  the  cell  divides  has  charge  of  the  work  of  looking 
after  and  seeing  that  the  different  crowds  of  specifically 
skilled  workers  are  equally  divided. 

The  centrosome  seems  to  be  the  center  of  intelligence 


70  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 

and  will  power  of  the  cell.  In  regard  to  this  part  of  the 
cell  Prof.  Wilson  makes  the  following  statement :  "From 
our  present  point  of  view,  the  centrosome  possesses  a 
peculiar  interest  as  a  cell  organ  which  may  be  scarcely 
larger  than  a  cytomicrosome,  yet  possesses  specific 
physiological  properties,  assimilates,  grows,  divides  and 
may  persist  from  cell  to  cell  without  loss  of  identity. 
Nearly  all  observers  of  the  centrosome  have  found  it 
lying  in  the  cytoplasm  outside  the  nucleus,  but  apart 
from  the  protozoa  there  is  at  least  one  established  case 
in  which  it  lies  within  the  nucleus,  a  fact  that  proves 
that  its  position  is  nonessential ;  that  the  centrosome  is 
an  active  center  rather  than  a  passive  body  or  one  created 
by  the  aster  formation  is  strongly  indicated  by  its  be- 
havior." 

Then  Prof.  Wilson  after  having  stated  the  general  func- 
tions of  the  centrosome,  sums  up  in  the  following  lan- 
guage :  "These  facts  seem  explicable  only  under  the 
assumption  that  in  these  cases  the  centrosome  or  the 
substance  which  it  carries  gives  an  active  stimulus  to  the 
cytoplasm,  which  incites  the  aster  formation  about  itself 
and  in  words  of  Griffin  disengages  the  forces  at  work  in 
mitosis. 

"The  centrosome  must,  however,  be  something  more 
than  a  mere  division  center,  for  on  the  one  hand  in  leu- 
cocytes and  pigment  cells,  the  astral  system  formed  about 
it  is  devoted,  as  there  is  good  reason  to  believe,  not  to 
cell  division  but  to  movements  of  the  cell  body  as  a 
whole,  and  on  the  other  hand,  as  we  have  seen,  it  is  con- 
cerned in  the  formation  of  the  flagella  of  the  spermato- 
zoon and  probably  also  in  the  cilia  of  epithelial  cells." 
You  will  see  from  this,  that  the  centrosome  is  the  party 
in  the  cell  who  seems  to  direct  its  several  actions.  It  will 
also  appear  that  the  centrosome  leads  a  separate  life 


THE  CELL  71 

within  the  cell  and  multiplies  by  division  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  cell  itself. 

We  shall  now  consider  the  functions  of  another  im- 
portant organ  of  the  cell,  the  nucleus.  This  consists  of  a 
crowd  or  colony  of  skilled  workers,  who  perform,  look 
after  and  direct  the  different  kinds  of  work.  You  will  see 
later  on,  that  the  nucleus  has  a  number  of  crowds  or  col- 
onies specialized  in  different  kinds  of  work.  These  col- 
onies are  called  chromatin  granules  or  grains  and  when 
lined  up  for  division  are  called  chromosomes. 

Here  is  a  description  of  the  nucleus  by  Prof.  Wilson : 
"The  nucleus  usually  lies  in  the  center,  but  as  the  outer 
wall  thickens  the  nucleus  moves  toward  it  and  remains 
closely  applied  to  it  throughout  its  growth,  after  which 
the  nucleus  often  moves  into  another  part  of  the  cell. 
That  this  is  not  due  simply  to  a  movement  of  the  nucleus 
toward  the  air  and  light  is  beautifully  shown  in  the  inner 
walls  of  the  cell.  The  same  position  of  the  nucleus  and 
movement  of  the  nucleus  is  shown  in  all  cases  toward  the 
place  or  near  the  place  where  the  work  is  to  be  done." 

I  wish  to  make  it  clear  to  the  reader  that  in  the  con- 
struction of  any  product  in  the  body  like  bile,  milk  or 
digestive  fluids,  it  is  not  produced  by  the  gland,  liver, 
etc.,  but  by  the  individual  cells  of  which  they  are  com- 
posed ;  and  that  these  individual  cells  are  again  made  up 
of  still  smaller  individuals,  who  do  the  actual  work.  You 
see  the  cell  itself  is  a  very  highly  organized  being,  just 
as  the  human  body.  The  cells  that  build  our  body  were 
not  always  in  the  habit  of  building  themselves  into  large 
co-operative  colonies  like  those  we  see  now  as  animals, 
plants  and  trees.  We  find  them  still  with  other  habits 
and  methods  of  life,  living  the  single  and  separate  lives 
in  ocean  or  fresh  water  and  nearly  all  of  them  have  some 
peculiar  ways  and  actions  that  show  wonderful  skill  and 


72      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

intelligence.  The  following  is  a  description  of  the  pro- 
tozoa by  Ernest  Haeckel : 

"Many  of  the  aquatic  protozoa  have  the  power  of  auto- 
nomous and  independent  locomotion  and  this  often  has 
the  appearance  of  being  voluntary.  Among  the  simplest 
fresh  water  protozoa  are  the  (arcellina)  little  rhizopods 
that  are  distinguished  from  the  naked  amoeba  by  the 
possession  of  a  firm  envelope.  They  usually  creep  about 
in  the  slime  at  the  bottom  but  in  certain  circumstances 
rise  to  the  surface  of  the  water.  As  Wilhelm  Englemann 
has  shown,  they  accomplish  this  hydrostatic  movement 
by  means  of  a  small  vesicle  of  carbonic  acid,  which  ex- 
pands their  unicellular  body  like  an  air  balloon ;  the  spe- 
cific weight  of  the  cell  body  which  is  of  itself  heavier  than 
water  is  sufficiently  lowered  by  this.  The  same  method 
is  followed  by  the  pretty  radiolaria  which  live  floating  (as 
plankton)  at  various  depths  of  the  sea.  Their  unicellular 
body  is  divided  by  a  membrane  into  a  firm  inner  central 
capsule  and  a  soft  outer  gelatine  covering.  The  latter 
known  as  the  calymma  is  traversed  by  a  number  of 
water-vesicles  or  vacuoles.  As  a  result  of  an  osmotic 
process  carbonic  acid  may  be  secreted  or  pure  water 
(without  the  salt  of  the  sea  water)  be  imbibed  in  these 
vacuoles ;  by  this  means  the  specific  gravity  of  the  cell  is 
lessened  and  it  rises  to  the  surface.  When  it  desires  to 
make  itself  heavier  and  sink,  the  vacuoles  discharge,  their 
lighter  contents.  These  hydrostatic  movements  of  the 
radiolaria  attain  by  simple  means  the  same  end  that  is 
accomplished  in  the  siphonophora  and  fishes  by  air  filled 
and  voluntarily  contractile  swimming  bladders." 

You  will  notice  from  this  description  by  Mr.  Haeckel, 
that  this  particular  kind  of  cell  understands  all  the  laws 
of  hydrostatics.  He  understands  how  to  make  and  in- 
flate his  coat  with  a  gas  which  lifts  him  to  the  surface  of 


THE  CELL  73 

the  water  whenever  he  wants  to  go  there  for  food  or  air. 
Whenever  he  gets  through  with  his  work  at  the  surface 
of  the  water  he  allows  the  gas  to  escape  and  goes  back  to 
the  bottom.  I  wish  to  call  the  reader's  attention  to  these 
very  complicated  acts,  showing  that  the  cells  which  still 
live  and  lead  a  separate  life  possess  a  mind  and  intellect 
of  a  high  order.  You  will  notice  that  in  the  past  some 
writers  and  scientists  have  made  the  remark  that  the 
cell  appears  to  have  a  mind  and  a  free  will.  Whether 
they  have  or  not  will  be  a  question  for  the  reader  to 
determine  for  himself  after  having  read  this  book.  It  has 
taken  man  a  long  time  with  a  mind  and  free  will  to  rise 
from  the  savage  state  to  civilized  life.  Intelligence  and 
free  will  have  placed  man  where  he  is  today  and  I  believe 
that  the  same  forces  have  been  back  of  the  progress  and 
development  of  cell  life  which  is  back  of  man. 

One  writer  makes  the  following  statement  about  the 
single  cells  living  in  the  sea :  "A  great  number  of  classi- 
fications for  the  methodical  distribution  of  these  beings 
has  been  proposed  but  not  one  of  them  is  altogether 
satisfactory.  Some  inhabit  fresh  and  salt  waters,  serving 
as  food  for  a  great  many  other  organisms  or  contributing 
by  means  of  their  calcareous  or  silicious  skeletons  to  the 
formation  of  continents.  Others  live  as  parasites  in  the 
organs  of  animals  and  plants  and  induce  more  or  less 
serious  disorders  in  the  constitutions  of  the  organisms 
they  have  penetrated.  Others  again,  acting  like  ferments 
produce  important  chemical  modifications  in  organic 
matter  in  the  course  of  decomposition." 

You  will  notice  from  this  statement  that  the  cell  is 
able  to  effect  chemical  modifications  and  changes  in 
organic  matter.  This  would  seem  to  clearly  indicate  that 
the  cell  is  familiar  with  the  laws  of  chemistry.  Mr. 
Ernest  Haeckel  makes  the  following  statement  about  the 


74     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

cell :  "When  the  cell-theory  developed  in  the  course  of 
the  last  half  century,  the  common  anatomic  ground  work 
of  all  living  forms  was  recognized  in  the  cell,  and  the 
conception  of  the  cell  as  the  elementary  organism  led  to 
the  further  belief  that  our  own  frame  like  that  of  all  the 
higher  animals  and  plants  is  a  cell  state  composed  of 
millions  of  microscopic  citizens,  the  individual  cells, 
which  work  more  or  less  independently  therein  and  co- 
operate for  the  common  purposes  of  the  entire  commu- 
nity. This  fundamental  principle  of  the  modern  cell- 
theory  was  applied  with  great  success  by  Rudolph  Vir- 
chow  to  the  diseased  organism  and  led  to  most  important 
reforms  in  medicine.  The  cells  are  in  his  view  inde- 
pendent 'life  units'."  The  reader  will  notice  from  this 
that  the  cell  is  now  looked  upon  as  a  separate  living  in- 
dividual and  that  in  plants  and  animals  cells  live  together 
in  a  co-operative  community. 

It  seems  to  be  the  aim  in  nature  to  improve  and  de- 
velop. Improvement  in  a  social  way  can  come  only  at 
the  cost  of  some  of  the  liberties  of  the  individual  citizen. 
In  proportion  as  society  organizes  itself  and  rises  in 
scale,  so  does  a  shrinkage  enter  the  private  life  of  each 
of  its  members.  In  order  to  obtain  the  comforts  and 
security  of  society  the  individual  must  abandon  some  of 
his  personal  liberties  and  work  towards  one  purpose,  the 
economic  and  political  perfection  of  the  race.  Is  it  not 
wonderful  that  plants  and  animals  happen  to  be  perfect 
political  and  economic  organizations  of  individual  cells, 
just  like  our  own  organized  society?  Think  of  the  count- 
less billions  of  cells  that  have  gone  down  in  a  terrific 
struggle  with  the  elements  in  the  past  ages,  in  order  to 
place  civilized  man  in  his  secure  and  comfortable  home. 

We  look  down  at  the  actions  of  the  cell  like  a  man 
looking  at  us  from  the  sun  or  another  world,  never  think- 


THE  CELL  75 

ing  that  we  are  looking  at  our  maker  through  a  telescope 
made  by  him,  the  eye.  It  is  no  wonder  that  man,  who 
was  built  and  guided  by  the  intelligence  of  the  cell,  was 
able  to  organize  himself  into  a  higher  civilized  life,  be- 
cause his  builder  had  gone  through  all  those  experiences 
before.  The  customs,  laws,  virtues  political  and  eco- 
nomic, now  practised  by  civilized  man  have  been  practised 
by  the  cell  for  the  past  million  years. 

Before  I  go  any  further  I  shall  quote  some  more  pas- 
sages by  Prof.  Wilson  as  to  the  general  appearance,  in- 
ner actions,  and  organs  of  the  cell.  The  word  protoplasm 
used  now  and  then  in  reference  to  the  cell  is  an  old  word 
which  now  is  practically  meaningless.  However,  as  nearly 
as  I  can  see,  it  means  the  whole  cell.  The  following  is 
by  Prof.  Wilson :  "A  minute  analysis  of  the  various  parts 
of  the  cell  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  all  cell  organs, 
whether  temporary  or  permanent  are  local  differentia- 
tions of  a  common  structural  basis.  Temporary  organs 
such  as  cilia  or  pseudopodia  are  formed  out  of  this  basis, 
persist  for  a  time  and  finally  merge  their  identity  in  the 

common   basis   again The   facts   point 

toward  the  conclusion  that  the  power  of  division  not  only 
of  the  cell  organs  but  also  of  the  cell  as  a  whole  may  have 
its  root  in  a  like  power  on  the  part  of  more  elementary 
masses  or  units  of  which  the  structural  basis  is  itself 

built If  such  bodies  exist  they  must, 

however,  in  their  primary  form,  lie  beyond  the  present 

limits  of  the  microscope The  phenomena 

of  cell  division  show,  however,  that  the  dividing  substance 
tends  to  differentiate  itself  into  several  orders  of  visible 
morphological  aggregates At  the  bot- 
tom of  the  series  there  must  be  masses  that  cannot  be 
further  split  up  without  loss  of  their  characteristic  prop- 
erties and  which  form  the  elementary  morphological 


76     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

units  of  the  nucleus These  facts  point 

unmistakably  to  the  conclusion  that  these  granules  are 
perhaps  to  be  regarded  as  independent  morphological 
elements  of  a  lower  grade  than  the  chromosome. 

.    The  smallest  chromatin  grains  may  successively 
group  themselves  in  larger  and  larger  combinations  of 

which  the  final  term  is  chromosome 

Whether  these  combinations  are  to  be  regarded  as  in- 
dividuals is  a  question  which  can  only  lead  to  a  barren 
play  of  words.  Are  these  the  ultimate  dividing  units  as 
Braur  suggests?  When  all  these  facts  are  placed  in  con- 
nection we  find  it  difficult  to  escape  the  conclusion  that 
no  definite  line  can  be  drawn  between  the  cytoplasmic 
granules  at  one  extreme  and  the  chromatin  granules  at 
the  other.  And  in  as  much  as  the  latter  are  certainly 
capable  of  growth  and  division,  we  cannot  deny  the  pos- 
sibilities that  the  former  may  themselves  have  or  arise 
from  elements  having  like  power. 

"A  fragment  of  a  cell  deprived  of  its  nucleus  may  live 
for  a  considerable  time  and  manifest  the  power  of  co- 
ordinated movement  without  perceptible  impairment. 
Such  a  mass  of  protoplasm  is,  however,  devoid  of  the 
powers  of  assimilation,  growth  and  repair,  and  sooner  or 

later  dies For  these  and  many  other 

reasons  to  be  discussed  hereafter  the  nucleus  is  generally 
regarded  as  the  controlling  center  of  cell-activity  and 
hence  a  primary  factor  in  growth  development  and  the 
transmission  of  specific  qualities  from  cell  to  cell  and  so 
from  one  generation  to  another." 

In  its  simplest  form  the  centrosome  is  a  single  minute 
granule,  which  may,  however,  become  double  or  triple  as 
in  the  white  blood  cells  of  the  body,  connective  tissue 

cells  or  epithelial  cells  or  skin  cells During 

the    formation    of    the    spermatozoon,    the    centrosome 


THE  CELL  77 

undergoes  some  remarkable  changes  and  is  closely  in- 
volved in  the  formation  of  the  contractile  structures  of 
the  tail.  The  existence  of  cell  organs,  which  have  the 
power  of  independent  assimilation  and  growth  and  divi- 
sion is  a  fact  of  great  theoretical  interest  in  its  bearing  on 
the  general  problem  of  cell  organization  for  it  is  one  of 
the  main  reasons  that  have  led  Boveries,  Weisner  and 
many  others  to  regard  the  entire  cell  as  made  up  of 
elementary  self  propagating  units.  Besides  the  active 
substance,  the  cell  contains  various  lifeless  bodies  sus- 
pended in  the  meshes  of  the  network.  Examples  of  these 
are  food  granules,  pigment  bodies,  drops  of  oil  or  water 
and  excretory  matters Among  the  life- 
less products  of  the  body  must  be  reckoned  also  the  cell 
wall  or  membrane  by  which  the  cell  bodies  may  be  sur- 
rounded." 

We  shall  now  begin  to  consider  the  subject  of  repro- 
duction. The  cell  multiplies  by  dividing  itself  into  two 
parts.  In  this  performance  the  directing  center  called  the 
centrosome  takes  charge  of  the  performance  and  looks 
after  the  details  to  see  that  the  different  specialized  and 
skilled  workers  in  the  cell  body  are  exactly  equally 
divided.  As  this  colony  of  skilled  workers  called  the 
nucleus  possesses  the  knowledge  and  experience  handed 
down  through  past  ages,  it  is  very  important  that  division 
be  equal,  so  that  each  and  all  of  the  cells  shall  be  pos- 
sessed of  the  same  amount  of  power,  knowledge,  skill  and 
information.  For  this  reason  the  centrosome  or  directing 
center  of  the  cell  takes  full  charge  of  this  most  important 
act. 

The  following  illustrations,  Figs.  4-5-6,  by  Prof.  Wilson, 
will  show  how  the  performance  of  cell  division  looks 
through  the  microscope.  The  first  act  is  division  by  the 
centrosome ;  next,  the  skilled  workers,  scattered  pro- 


78 


CELL,  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 


FIG.  4. — Diagrams  of  cell  showing  the  first  stages  in  act  of  division. — WILSON. 

A.  Resting  stage  of  cell.  B.  Beginning  of  division.  C.  Centrosome 
divided.  E.  Nucleus  or  crowd  of  skilled  workers  beginning  to  divide.  F. 
Skilled  workers  lined  up  for  division. 


THE  CELL 


79 


miscuously  about  in  the  nucleus,  line  themselves  up  in 
rows  for  division.  Then  the  two  centrosomes  move  over 
to  opposite  sides  of  the  cell  body.  Then  each  centro- 


FIG.  5. — Diagrams  of  the  later  stages  of  division. — WILSON. 

G.     Crowd  of  skilled  workers  beginning  to  divide.     F.     Division  completed. 

some  takes  charge  of  just  half  of  each  crowd  of  skilled 
workers  called  chromosomes.  The  centrosomes  then  pull 
each  their  equal  share  of  the  crowd  contained  in  the 


80     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

nucleus  towards  their  side  of  the  cell  bodies,  and  finally 
the  body  itself  divides,  and  each  centrosome  in  that  way 
obtains  by  this  act  just  half  of  the  original  cell.  Who  is 
this  most  wonderful  being,  the  centrosome,  who  directs 
these  actions?  Seen  through  the  most  powerful  micro- 


FIG.  6. — Centrosome   highly  magnified. — WILSON. 

scope,  he  looks  like  an  individual  who  is  in  touch  with 
all  the  other  individuals  around  him  by  some  method  or 
means  that  is  not  yet  understood.  He  seems  to  be  con- 
nected with  everything  in  every  direction  as  you  will 
see  from  the  illustration. 

In  reference  to  the  work  of  the  centrosome  Mr.  Wil- 


rHE  CELL  81 

son  makes  the  following-  remark :  "The  division  of  the 
cytoplastic  granules  must  remain  a  quite  open  question, 
yet  we  should  remember  that  in  dividing  plastids  of 
plants  cells  are  often  very  minute,  and  that  in  the  centre- 
some  we  have  a  body  no  larger  in  many  cases  than  a 
microsome,  which  is  positively  known  to  be  in  some  cases 
a  persistent  morphological  element;  having  the  power  of 
growth,  division  and  persistence  in  the  daughter  cells. 
When  we  consider  the  analogy  between  the  centrosome 
and  the  chromatin  grains,  when  we  recall  the  evidence 
that  the  latter  graduate  into  the  oxychromatin  granules, 
and  these  in  turn  into  cytomicrosomes,  we  must  admit 
that  Burke's  cautious  suggestion  that  the  whole  cell 
might  be  a  congerie  of  self  propagating  units  of  a  lower 
order  is  sufficiently  supported  by  facts,  which  constitute 
a  legitimate  working  hypothesis." 

You  will  see  from  this  that  the  general  opinion  of 
scientists  is  that  the  cell  is  a  colony  of  still  smaller  cells 
or  beings ;  and  that  the  centrosome  is  simply  one  of  these 
smaller  cells  specifically  in  charge  and  organized  to  be 
the  general  director  and  manager  of  the  whole  organiza- 
tion we  call  the  cell.  Figure  7  of  the  centrosome  shows 
clearly  that  it  is  in  contact  with  every  part  of  the  body 
of  the  cell.  The  reader  can  clearly  see  that  the  individuals 
organized  together  to  make  the  complete  whole  we  call 
cell  are  too  small  to  be  clearly  seen  and  to  have  their 
individual  actions  studied. 

Now  we  come  to  consider  the  most  wonderful  per- 
formance in  plant  and  animal  life,  which  are  the  repro- 
ductive actions  of  the  cells  that  build  plants  and  animals. 
As  the  reader  probably  knows,  all  life  we  see,  such  as 
plants  and  animals,  begins  as  one  single  cell.  In  ref- 
erence to  this  point  Prof.  Drummond  makes  the  following 
remark :  "The  embryo  of  future  man  begins  life  like  the 


82     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

primitive  savage  in  a  one  room  hut,  a  single  simple  cell. 
The  cell  is  almost  microscopic  and  round  in  shape.  An 
outer  covering  almost  as  transparent  as  glass  surrounds 
this  little  body  and  in  the  interior  imbedded  in  the  proto- 
plasm lies  a  bright  globular  spot ;  in  form,  size  and  com- 
position there  is  no  difference  in  this  cell  and  that  of  any 
other  animal.  The  dog,  elephant,  lion  and  a  thousand 
others  begin  their  lives  the  same  way.  At  an  earlier 
stage  before  it  has  taken  on  its  pellucid  covering,  this 
cell  has  affinities  still  more  astounding  for  it  is  a  fact  in 
modern  science  that  the  first  embryonic  abodes  of  moss* 
fern,  pine,  shark,  crab,  lizard,  lion  and  man  are  so  ex- 
actly similar  that  the  highest  power  of  microscope  and 
mind  fail  to  trace  the  smallest  distinction  between  them." 

You  will  see  from  this  statement  by  Mr.  Drummond 
that  what  I  have  told  you  heretofore  is  true,  that  every- 
thing starts  from  one  single  cell.  That  they  are  all  alike 
except  as  to  outside  covering  and  size.  The  cells  that 
build  man,  mouse  or  plants  look  alike  in  the  same  way 
that  a  shoemaker  and  a  preacher  look  alike,  but  their 
knowledge  and  experience  in  life  have  been  different.  For 
that  reason  the  work  they  do  and  the  structures  they 
build  will  be  different,  depending  on  what  their  education 
and  experience  have  been.  The  actions  of  a  living  being 
are  based  on  his  knowledge,  derived  from  previous  experi- 
ence. 

To  return  to  the  question, — where  does  this  first  cell 
come  from:  When  the  cells  build  the  animals,  special 
organs  are  built  in  the  male  and  female  where  the  cell  is 
prepared,  educated  and  dressed  up ;  these  are  the  sex 
organs.  In  a  certain  place  in  the  female  bodies,  arrange- 
ments have  also  been  made  to  furnish  these  cells  with 
food  and  building  material,  so  they  can  multiply  and 
build  another  body.  This  place  is  called  the  womb.  Now 


THE  CELL  83 

how  do  they  prepare  for  this  act  of  meeting  in  the  womb 
for  the  purpose  of  building  a  new  body?  In  the  overies 
of  the  female  the  cell  prepares  for  the  occasion  in  this 
way :  It  discharges  or  dispenses  with  half  of  the  skilled 
workers  located  in  the  nucleus,  and  also  its  centrosome 
or  general  manager  and  provides  itself  with  food 


FIG.  7. — Structure  of  the  centrosome  in  the  polar  asters. — WILSON. 

enough  to  last  several  days.  With  this  food  she  goes  into 
the  womb  and  waits  for  the  cell  to  come  from  the  male. 
How  is  he  prepared?  He  also  discharges  or  abandons 
half  of  his  skilled  workers  in  the  nucleus  but  keeps  the 
general  manager  or  centrosome,  so  when  the  two  meet 
and  join  their  forces  together,  there  will  be  a  complete 
cell  with  a  full  nucleus,  centrosome  and  also  food  enough 
to  last  them  until  connections  have  been  built  up  in  the 
womb  with  the  body,  where  they  can  obtain  and  be  fur- 
nished with  such  food  and  building  material  as  will  be 


84      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

required  to  build  the  new  structure.  I  must  further  de- 
scribe the  male  cell,  who  makes  elaborate  preparation  to 
be  able,  not  only  to  meet  the  female  cell,  but  to  be  able  to 
be  the  first  one  to  reach  her  in  the  mighty  race  and  strug- 
gle that  takes  place  between  a  thousand  or  more  of  them 
in  a  dash  for  the  goal. 

The  male  cells,  or  spermatozoons,  who  prepare  to  meet 
the  female  cells  in  the  womb,  change  their  form  so  com- 
pletely that  no  one  not  familiar  with  them  could  possibly 
recognize  them  as  a  human  cell.  They  were  thought 
to  be  parasites  when  first  discovered  and  not  in  any  way 
connected  with  or  a  part  of  the  body.  The  male  cell  is  re- 
constructed to  effect  a  certain  purpose,  which  is  to  push 
its  way  through  obstacles  in  a  competitive  race  that  is 
to  take  place  by  thousands  of  individuals  at  the  same 
time.  To  be  swift  and  effective,  the  centrosome  is  placed 
in  front,  protected  by  a  hard  point;  next,  back  of  Kim  is 
the  entire  crowd  of  skilled  workers  known  as  the  nucleus ; 
then  back  of  them  there  is  a  powerful  tail  or  propeller, 
constructed  from  the  common  workers  and  laborers  of  his 
whole  body,  which  is  designed  to  push  the  male  cell 
with  the  centrosome  in  front,  directing  the  course  to  the 
place  where  the  female  cell  is  waiting  for  him  in  the 
womb. 

The  following  is  a  description  from  Prof.  Wilson  of  the 
male  cell  generally  called  the  spermatozoon :  '"In  its 
more  usual  form  the  animal  spermatozoon  resembles  a 
minute,  elongated  tadpole,  which  swims  very  actively 
about  by  the  vibrations  of  a  long  slender  tail.  Such  a 
spermatozoon  consists  typically  of  four  parts.  Fig.  (8). 

First — The  nucleus,  which  forms  the  main  portion  of 
the  head  and  consists  of  a  very  dense  and  usually  homo- 
geneous mass  of  chromatin  staining  with  great  intensity. 
It  is  surrounded  by  a  very  thin  cytoplasmic  envelope. 


THE  CELL 


85 


Apical  body  or  acrosome. 
Nucleus. 
End-knob. 
•Middle-piece. 

Erweltps  of  the  tail. 
.Axial  filament, 


End-piece. 


Fig. 
FIG.  8. — Diagram  of  the   flagellate  spermatozoon. — WILSON. 

Second — An  apical  body,  or  acrosome  lying  at  the  front 
end  of  the  head,  sometimes  very  minute,  sometimes  al- 
most as  large  as  the  nucleus  and  in  some  cases  terminat- 
ing into  a  sharp  spur  by  means  of  which  the  spermatozoon 
bores  its  way  into  the  ovum. 


86     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

Third — The  middle  piece,  or  connecting  piece,  a  large 
cytoplasmic  body  lying  behind  the  head  and  giving  at- 
tachment to  the  tail  from  which  it  is  not  always  distinctly 
marked  off.  At  its  front  end  it  is  in  some  forms  (mam- 
mals) separated  from  the  nucleus  by  a  short  clear  region, 
the  neck. 

Fourth — The  tail,  or  flagellum,  in  part  at  least,  a  cyto- 
plasmic product,  developed  in  connection  with  the  cen- 
trosome.  From  a  physiological  point  of  view  we  may  ar- 
range the  parts  of  the  spermatozoon  under  two  categories 
as  follows : 

First — The  essential  structures,  which  play  a  direct 
part  in  fertilization ;  these  are :  (a)  The  nucleus  which 
contains  the  chromatin.  (b)  The  middle  piece,  which 
either  contains  a  formed  centrosome  or  a  pair  of  centro- 
scmes  (end-knob),  or  is  itself  a  metamorphosed  centro- 
some. This  is  probably  to  be  regarded  as  the  fertilizing 
element  par  excellence,  since  there  is  reason  to  believe 
that  when  introduced  into  the  egg,  it  gives  the  stimulus 
to  division. 

Second — The  accessory  structures,  which  play  no  direct 
part  in  fertilization,  viz ;  (a)  The  apex,  or  spur,  by 
which  the  spermatozoon  attaches  itself  to  the  egg  or  bores 
its  way  into  it.  (b)  The  tail,  a  locomotor  organ,  which 
carries  the  nucleus  and  centrosome,  and  as  it  were,  de- 
posits them  in  the  egg  at  the  time  of  fertilization.  There 
can  be  little  doubt  that  the  substance  of  the  flagellum  is 
contractile  and  that  its  movements  are  of  the  same  nature 
as  those  of  ordinary  cilia.  Ballowitz's  discovery  of  its 
fibrillated  structure  is  therefore  of  great  interest  as  indi- 
cating its  structural  as  well  as  physiological  similarity 
to  a  muscle  fibre. 

"Tailed  spermatozoa  conforming  more  or  less  nearly 
to  the  type  just  described  are  with  few  exceptions  found 


THE  CELL  87 

throughout  the  metazoa  from  the  coelenterates  up  to 
man." 

The  reader  will  see  from  this  statement,  Fig.  (8),  by 
Prof.  Wilson,  that  it  appears  clearly  the  male  cell  is  a 
structure  built  up  and  composed  of  a  multitude  of  still 
smaller  primordial  beings ;  that  the  central  part  of  the  cell, 
the  nucleus,  contains  those  who  are  skilled  and  under- 
stand the  work  that  has  been  done  and  is  to  be  done  in  the 
future,  and  that  the  centrosome  is  the  directing  center 
and  general  manager  whose  duty  it  is  to  guide  the  actions 
of  all ;  that  the  main  body  of  the  cell  which  is  called  cyto- 
plasm, contains  the  common  laborers  and  servants,  who 
work  and  act  from  instructions  and  orders  given  by -the 
skilled  workers  or  centrosome.  We  see  that  the  male  cell 
in  this  race  to  find  the  female  cell  employs  the  entire  force 
of  common  laborers  in  the  body  of  the  cell  to  push  and 
carry  him  to  the  desired  place.  Consider  for  a  moment  this 
preparation  of  thousands  who  are  willing  to  prepare  for 
this  race,  where  all  but  one  must  fail  to  reach  the  goal, 
and  all  but  one  must  perish.  However,  it  is  a  fair  race, 
based  on  the  law  of  evolution,  that  the  best  man  in  a 
struggle  for  existence  will  win.  In  this  act,  as  in  all  other 
schemes  in  nature,  where  there  is  intelligence  there  is 
authority,  design,  purpose,  wisdom  and  victory.  Here 
it  seems  that  microscopic  and  mysterious  beings  we  call 
the  centrosomes  are  able  to  direct  all  the  other  micro- 
scopic beings  in  the  cell  to  subjugate  and  organize  mat- 
ter, so  as  to  create  for  themselves  an  existence  on  the 
planet.  It  appears  that  the  centrosome  is  the  real  source 
of  will  and  intelligence  in  the  cell,  just  as  the  brain  cells 
are  the  source  of  intelligence  in  animals  and  man. 

This  male  cell  of  animals  is  so  very  similar  in  shape  and 
actions  to  male  cells  or  spermatozoons  of  plants  and  in- 
sects, and  also  cells  living  a  single  and  separate  life  in 


88      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

the  water,  that  I  shall  quote  a  description  of  them  from 
Ernest  Haeckel. 

"The  same  may  be  said  of  the  traveling  spores  of  many 
of  the  algae  and  of  the  most  remarkable  of  all  ciliated 
cells,  the  spermia  or  spermatozoa  of  plants  and  animals. 
As  a  rule  they  are  cone  shape,  having  an  oval  or  pear 
shape,  (though  often  also  rod  shape)  head,  which  tapers 
into  a  long  and  thin  thread.  When  their  lively  move- 
ments were  first  noticed  in  the  male  seminal  fluid  (each 
drop  of  which  contained  millions  of  them)  two  hundred 
years  ago,  they  were  thought  to  be  real  independent  ani- 
malcules like  the  infusoria  and  so  obtained  their  name  of 
seed  animals  (spermatozoa).  It  was  a  long  time  (60 
years  ago)  before  we  learned  that  they  are  detached  glan- 
ular  cells,  which  have  the  function  of  fertilizing  the  ovum. 
It  was  discovered  at  the  same  time  that  similar  vibratory 
cells  are  found  in  many  of  the  plants  (algae  mosses  and 
ferns).  Many  of  the  latter  (for  instance,  the  spermato- 
zoids  of  the  Cycadea)  have  instead  of  a  few  long  whips, 
a  number  of  short  lashes  (cilia)  and  resemble  the  more 
highly  developed  ciliated  infusoria. 

"The  ciliary  movement  of  the  infusoria  is  held  to  be 
a  more  perfect  form  of  vibratory  movement,  because  the 
many  short  lashes  found  on  them  are  used  for  different 
purposes  and  have  accordingly  assumed  different  forms 
in  the  division  of  labor.  Some  of  the  cilia  are  used  for 
running  or  swimming,  others  for  grasping  or  touching 
and  so  on.  In  social  combination  we  have  the  ciliated 
cells  of  the  ciliated  epithelium  of  the  higher  animals— for 
instance,  in  the  lungs,  nostrils,  and  oviducts  of  verta- 
brates." 

The  reader  will  clearly  see  from  this  description  by  Mr. 
Haeckel,  that  the  male  cell  of  man,  animals  and  plants  is 


THE  CELL  89 

in  no  way  different  from  the  other  single  cells  leading  a 
single  life  in  the  water.  That  he  is  a  very  active  animal 
with  organs  of  touch,  locomotion,  and  a  great  number  of 
others  to  assist  him  in  his  life.  Many  male  cells  of  plants 
and  animals  swim  about  in  the  water  for  a  long  time  and 
long  distances  in  se'arch  of  the  female  cell.  It  shows 
clearly  that  at  the  start  we  are  just  what  Prof.  Drum- 
mond  stated,  "Apparently  no  different  from  plants  in- 
sects, and  animals."  These  tiny  microscopic  beings  will 
of  their  own  free  will  go  ahead  and  multiply  into  groups, 
and  tie  and  arrange  themselves  into  the  different  shapes 
and  forms  we  afterwards  call  plants,  animals  or  man. 

By  this  time,  I  think  the  reader  must  see  that  the  cell 
is  the  one  who  is  at  the  base  and  is  the  cause  of  life  that 
we  see,  as  in  plants  and  animals.  He  is  the  cause  of  all 
living  structures.  He  multiplies  by  division,  as  heretofore 
described,  and  with  the  building  material  at  hand  or  fur- 
nished by  other  cells,  the  work  continues  until  the  plant 
or  animal  is  completed.  We  see  him  move  about  from 
place  to  place  in  search  of  food  and  material  for  his  struc- 
ture just  as  other  animals  do. 

We  know  that  he  requires  food,  air  and  water  just  as 
we  do.  We  know  that  he  understands  how  to  select  the 
right  kind  of  material  at  the  right  time  and  with  it,  build 
the  most  intricate  and  complicated  structures.  We  know 
this  because  we  see  him  do  it  and  from  these  facts,  we 
must  naturally  conclude  that  he  acts  in  a  similar  manner 
to  other  animals  including  man.  We  find  that  he  acts  for 
a  purpose.  When  man  acts  for  a  purpose,  we  say  he  is 
intelligent.  When  a  person  is  able  to  produce  any  struc- 
ture by  reason  of  being  intelligent,  we  mean  that  he  is 
instructed  or  skillful  in  the  particular  work  which  he  does. 
When  a  large  building  is  being  constructed,  it  seems  in 


90     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

the  distance  to  simply  grow  larger  from  day  to  day;  it 
appears  in  the  distance  to  take  form  slowly  and  impercep- 
tibly. If  we  could  never  get  near  enough  to  the  building 
to  clearly  see  what  was  going  on,  we  would  be  compelled 
to  say  that  it  simply  grew.  Why?  Because  we  had  not 
eyes  powerful  enough  to  see  what  was  being  done ;  but 
with  the  aid  of  the  telescope  we  could  increase  the  power 
of  our  eyes  to  see  more  clearly  and  determine  the  facts, 
that  the  building  was  not  being  formed  by  magic  but  by 
the  work  and  industry  of  a  number  of  human  beings.  So 
it  is  in  every  day  life,  we  see  a  tree  or  plant  or  animal  grow. 
That  is  as  far  as  we  can  see.  By  increasing  the  power  of 
our  eye  with  a  miscoscope,  we  can  see  that  it  does  not 
simply  grow,  as  by  magic,  but  that  it  is  being  constructed 
in  the  same  manner  as  a  building  would  be  by  man.  Every 
part  of  the  plant  is  occupied  by  active  individuals,  con- 
tinuously at  work,  feeding  themselves,  multiplying  and 
building  the  plant  or  animal  or  its  parts. 

We  shall  again  consider  what  takes  place  in  the  process 
of  division  of  the  cell.  All  modern  authority  now  seems 
to  agree  that  the  cell  itself  is  a  colony  of  beings,  organ- 
ized to  work  together  for  the  mutual  benefit  of  all.  From 
the  fact  that  not  only  the  cell  itself,  but  also  each  specifi- 
cally skilled  crowd  of  workers  contained  in  the  nucleus 
divides  exactly  in  two  equal  parts,  so  that  each  cell  gets 
exactly  its  equal  half  of  the  skilled  workers,  makes  it 
clear  that  those  individuals  of  the  cell  who  are  concerned 
with  the  work  of  building  and  keeping  a  record  of  past 
experiences,  which  we  call  memory,  are  at  all  times  kept 
double  or  in  duplicate.  After  the  crowds  have  divided  as 
takes  place  in  the  division  of  the  cell,-another  division  will 
not  take  place  until  that  crowd  has  again  doubled.  It 
seems  clear  to  me  that  those  chromatin  granules,  as  they 
are  called,  are  individuals  or  primordial  beings  possessed 


THE  CELL  91 

of  the  special  knowledge  and  skill  of  building  those  struc- 
tures from  whence  they  came.  The  fact  that  the  centro- 
some,  who  takes  charge  of  the  act  of  division,  causes  such 
division  to  be  exactly  equal,  tends  to  show  a  definite  pur- 
pose to  divide  the  specifically  skilled  working  force 
equally.  How  this  force  of  individuals  is  again  able  to 
grow  and  increase  in  the  cell  to  its  full  number  and  size, 
the  microscope  is  not  yet  powerful  enough  to  disclose  to 
us.  However,  we  can  clearly  see  that  it  does  again  in- 
crease and  grow  to  its  original  number  and  size. 

In  the  act  of  fertilization  where  the  male  cell  prepares 
to  meet  the  female  cell,  it  is  clear  that  each  one  knows 
what  the  other  is  going  to  do  and  acts  accordingly.  The 
female  cell  must  know  that  the  male  cell  will  bring  a  cen- 
trosome  or  general  manager  and  the  male  cell  must  know 
where  to  look  for  the  female  and  also  have  some  idea  what 
she  will  have  and  what  she  looks  like.  They  must  have 
the  faculty  of  memory,  skill  and  intelligence  to  do  these 
things.  Every  act  connected  with  this  performance  of 
the  male  and  female  cells  of  preparing  for  and  meeting  in 
the  womb,  is  an  intelligent  act  requiring  judgment  and 
will,  which  must  be  based  on  memory.  We  do  not  know 
how  the  cells  in  our  brain  can  remember  past  experiences, 
but  we  know  it  to  be  a  fact.  We  know  every  cell  in  our 
body  including  our  muscles  must  also  be  possessed  of 
this  faculty  of  memory,  just  as  the  cells  composing  our 
nerves  and  brain  are,  if  not  we  could  learn  nothing  from 
practice  nor  form  a  habit.  Habit  is  based  on  the  mem- 
ory of  the  cells  of  that  part  of  the  body  trained  or  prac- 
tising. By  repetition  the  acts  are  fixed  in  the  memory  of 
the  cells  in  the  muscles  that  take  part  in  the  act,  and  fin- 
ally they  are  remembered  and  then  we  call  them  habit. 

We  have  seen  that  the  cell  is  an  individual  again  com- 
posed of  individuals  called  granules;  that  these  granules, 


92      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

usually  called  chromatin  granules,  group  themselves  into 
crowds  who  have  their  own  specific  work  to  do  in  the 
same  way  that  in  our  body  we  have  special  colonies  or 
crowds  of  cells,  who  have  special  work  to  do  and  are 
called  organs,  like  the  heart,  liver,  lungs,  stomach,  etc. 
So  in  the  cell  the  skilled  crowds,  who  each  have  their  spe- 
cial work  to  do  in  the  body  of  the  cell,  are  called  organs. 
There  is  the  centrosome,  who  is  the  directing  center  or 
general  manager  of  the  whole  cell  body.  Then  there  is 
the  nucleus,  that  contains  an  enormous  number  of  crowds, 
each  skilled  in  his  particular  kind  of  work,  as  we  shall  see 
later.  Then  there  is  the  group  that  has  nothing  to  do  but 
make  starch  for  food.  This  crowd  of  special  workers  are 
found  only  in  the  plant  building  cells  and  those  plants 
who  are  able  and  understand  how  to  make  their  own  food 
out  of  the  raw  material  of  earth,  air  and  water.  Then 
there  is  the  crowd  of  general  workers,  which  you  might 
call  common  laborers,  who  compose  the  main  body  of  the 
cell.  How  do  the  cells  communicate  with  each  other? 
That  they  have  some  method  of  certain  and  rapid  com- 
munication is  clear,  and  is  evidenced  by  the  rapidity  with 
which  sensations  and  ideas  are  transferred  from  one  place 
of  the  body  to  the  other.  It  has  been  demonstrated  that 
the  nucleus  in  one  cell  will  take  charge  of  the  common 
laborers  and  workers  in  another  cell,  who  have  been  de- 
prived of  their  nucleus.  Here  is  Prof.  Wilson's  statement 
of  those  experiments  :  "If  correct,  these  experiments  give 
clear  evidence  of  transference  of  physiological  influences 
from  cell  to  cell  by  means  of  the  protoplasmic  bridges, 
showing  that  the  nucleus  in  one  cell  may  thus  control  the 
membrane-forming  activity  in  an  unnucleated  fragment 
of  another  cell."  This  is  very  significant  in  showing  with 
what  loyalty  they  co-operate  and  work  together  for  the 
general  welfare  of  the  entire  colony  or  body. 


THE  CELL  93 

I  must  here  explain  to  the  reader  more  about  the  repro- 
ductive cells  of  plants  and  animals, — how  they  differ  from 
those  cells  that  build  the  body.  They  are  called  germ 
cells  and  as  you  remember,  the  male  cell  is  called  the  sper- 
matozoon and  the  one  that  comes  from  the  female  is  called 
the  egg.  However,  the  reader  must  not  forget  that  the 
egg  and  spermatozoon  are  cells,  in  every  way  just  alike, 
except  that  they  are  built  and  prepared  to  perform  differ- 
ent kinds  of  work  and  for  that  reason,  they  look  different. 
The  egg  or  female  cell  is  prepared  to  just  sit  and  wait  for 
this  spermatozoon  with  food  for  both  to  last  them  until 
they  can  be  connected  with  the  nourishment  from  the 
body.  The  spermatozoon  is  built  with  a  powerful  pro- 
peller with  which  he  is  enabled  to  push  his  way  through 
obstacles  and  obstructions  in  a  mad  competitive  race  with 
thousands  of  others,  who  all  start  at  the  same  time  in 
search  for  the  same  object,  the  female  cell.  This  act  of 
the  spermatozoon  and  female  cell  meeting  and  joining  is 
called  fertilization.  You  remember  that  the  nucleus, 
which  always  contains  the  same  number  of  specifically 
skilled  crowds  of  workers,  always  divides  exactly  in  two 
whenever  the  cell  reproduces  itself  or  multiplies  by  divi- 
sion. Now  it  is  also  a  singular  fact  that  the  cell  from  the 
female  and  also  from  the  male  discharge  just  half  of  the 
specifically  skilled  crowd  of  workers  in  the  nucleus,  which 
are  called  chromosomes,  so  that  when  the  male  and 
female  cells  get  together  and  find  each  other,  and  the  two 
join  together  to  form  one  cell,  the  two  together  will  be 
a  complete  cell,  and  will  have  a  full  number  of  specifically 
skilled  workers,  and  the  correct  number  of  chromosomes. 
The  body  cells  or  cells  that  build  the  body  are  called 
somatic  cells,  and  are  always  a  little  different  from  the 
germ  cells.  Whenever  these  cells,  which  build  the  body, 
begin  their  task, — as  a  liver  cell,  or  muscle  cell, — they 


94      CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 

first  discharge  or  dispense  with  a  part  of  their  nucleus  or 
specifically  skilled  workers,  according  to  the  kind  of  work 
they  have  to  do.  These  facts  are  very  significant  in  that 
they  prove  that  the  nucleus  contains  groups  of  workers 
specifically  skilled  in  all  the  departments  of  work  per- 
taining to  the  building  of  the  body.  When  a  cell  takes 
charge  of  the  work  of  building  and  maintaining  the  liver 
or  lungs  it  retains  only  that  group  of  specifically  skilled 
workers  who  understand  that  particular  line  of  work, 
and  discharges  all  the  others.  In  reference  to  these  facts, 
I  will  here  quote  some  more  from  Prof.  Wilson  : 

"The  germ  from  which  every  living  form  arises  is  a 
single  cell  derived  by  division  of  a  parent  cell  of  the  pre- 
ceding generation.  In  the  higher  types  the  germ  cells 
are  more  or  less  definitely  organized  in  groups  supported 
and  nourished  by  somatic  cells,  specially  set  apart  for  that 
purpose,  and  forming  distinct  sexual  organs,  the  ovaries 
and  spermaries,  or  their  equivalents.  Within  these  organs 
the  germ  cells  are  carried  protected  and  nourished  and 
here  they  undergo  various  differentiation  to  prepare  them 
for  their  future  functions.  The  structural  difference  thus 
brought  about  between  the  germ  cells  is,  however,  only 
the  result  of  physiological  division  of  labor.  The  female 
germ  cell  or  ovum  supplies  most  of  the  material  for  the 
body  of  the  embryo  and  stores  the  food  by  which  it  is 
nourished.  It  is  therefore  very  large  and  contains  a  large 
amount  of  cytoplasm  laden  with  food  matter,  and  in  many 
cases  becomes  surrounded  by  membrane  or  other  enve- 
lopes for  the  protection  of  the  developing  embryo.  On 
the  other  hand  the  male  germ  cell  or  spermatozoon  con- 
tributes to  the  mass  of  the  embryo  only  a  very  small 
amount  of  substance  comprising  as  a  rule  only  a  single 
nucleus  and  a  very  small  quantity  of  cytoplasm.  It  is 
thus  relieved  of  the  drudgery  of  making  and  storing  food 


THE  CELL  95 

and  providing  protection  for  the  embryo  and  is  provided 
with  only  sufficient  cytoplasm  to  form  a  locomotor  ap- 
paratus by  which  it  seeks  the  ovum.  It  is  therefore  very 
small  and  performs  active  movements.  The  plant  ovum 
which  is  usually  known  as  the  oosphere  shows  the  same 
general  features  as  that  of  animals.  The  flagellum  or  tail 
is  merely  a  locomotor  organ,  which  plays  no  part  in  fer- 
tilization. Its  most  characteristic  feature  is  the  axial  fila- 
ment, which  is  composed  of  a  large  number  of  parallel 
fibrillae  like  a  muscle  fibre.  Both  the  ova  and  spermato- 
zoon take  their  origin  from  cells  known  as  primordial 
germ  cells,  which  become  clearly  distinguishable  from  the 
somatic  cells  at  early  period  of  development  and  are  at 
first  exactly  alike  in  the  two  cases.  Moreover,  from  the 
outset  the  progenitors  of  the  germ  cells  differs  from  the 
somatic  cells  not  only  in  the  greater  size  and  richness  of 
chromatin  of  its  nuclei  but  also  in  its  mode  of  mitosis, 
for  in  all  those  blastemers  destined  to  produce  somatic 
cells,  a  portion  of  the  chromatin  is  cast  out  into  the  cyto- 
plasm where  it  degenerates  and  only  in  germ  cells  is  the 
sum  total  of  the  chromatin  retained.  Only  the  germ  cells 
receive  the  sum  total  of  the  egg  chromatin  handed  down 
from  the  parent.  All  of  the  somatic  cells  contain  only  a 
portion  of  the  original  germ  substance.  The  original 
nuclear  constitution  of  the  fertilized  egg  is  transmitted  as 
if  by  law  of  primogeniture,  only  to  the  one  daughter  cell 
and  by  this  again  to  one  and  so  on.  While  in  the  other 
cells,  the  chromatin  in  part  degenerates,  in  part  is  trans- 
formed so  that  all  of  the  descendants  of  these  side  branches 
receive  small  reduced  nuclei.  The  number  of  chromo- 
somes arising  from  the  germ  nuclei  is  always  the  same  in 
both  and  is  one-half  the  number  characteristic  of  the  tis- 
sue cells  of  the  species.  The  two  nuclei  do  not  fuse,  but 


96     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

only  place  themselves  side  by  side  and  in  this  position 
give  rise  each  to  its  own  group  of  chromosomes." 

"The  difference  between  the  two  sexes  is  probably  due 
to  the  physiological  division  of  labor  between  the  two 
germ  cells,  the  spermatozoon  being  motile  and  very  small, 
while  the  egg  contains  a  large  amount  of  protoplasm  and 
yolk.  The  evidence  is  steadily  accumulating,  that  reduc- 
tion is  accomplished  by  two  maturation  divisions  through- 
out the  animal  kingdom,  even  in  the  unicellular  forms. 
The  one  fact  of  maturation  that  stands  out  with  perfect 
clearness  and  certainty  amid  all  the  controversy  sur- 
rounding it,  is  a  reduction  of  the  number  of  chromosomes 
in  the  ultimate  germ  cells  to  one-half  the  number  char- 
acteristic of  the  somatic  cells.  It  is  equally  clear  that 
this  reduction  is  a  preparation  of  the  germ  cells  for  their 
subsequent  union  and  a  means  by  which  the  number  of 
chromosomes  is  held  constantly  in  the  species." 

You  will  notice  that  the  actions  of  the  individuals  which 
compose  the  cell  show  that  they  are  very  careful  not  to 
lose  any  of  the  crowds  of  specifically  skilled  workers ; 
that  great  care  is  exercised  to  see  that  the  division  is  ex- 
actly equal.  The  one  who  always  takes  charge  of  the  act 
of  division  is  known  as  the  centrosome.  You  will  also 
notice  from  Mr.  Wilson's  statement,  that  the  group  of 
workers  in  the  nucleus  do  not  "fuse,"  as  we  used  to  think 
when  we  did  not  have  microscopes  powerful  enough  to 
see  what  became  of  them.  You  will  notice  that  they  sim- 
ply remain  side  by  side  and  apparently  do  so  during  the 
entire  life  of  the  individual.  From  the  evidence  before  us 
now  it  begins  to  look  quite  clear  how  the  cell  can  and  does 
build  a  structure  like  a  plant  or  animal.  A  cell  is  a  com- 
bination of  a  multitude  of  highly  organized  and  special- 
ized primordial  beings.  The  cell  contains  in  itself  num- 
erous crowds  of  specifically  skilled  workers,  numbering 


THE  CELL  97 

thousands  or  millions.  How  these  primordial  beings  that 
make  up  the  cell  actually  multiply  and  grow,  we  have  no 
means  of  knowing  nor  microscope  to  tell  us.  You  see  life 
is  based  on  organization  and  specialization.  When  the  cell 
multiplies  by  division  there  is  simply  an  equal  division  of 
the  colony  of  specifically  skilled  workers  in  the  cell,  which 
is  called  the  nucleus.  In  this  way,  you  can  clearly  see, 
that  the  knowledge,  skill  and  experience  possessed  by  the 
cell,  or  more  correctly  speaking,  by  the  individuals  com- 
posing the  cell,  and  which  they  have  accumulated  through 
the  past  ages  of  experience,  is  handed  on  to  posterity  and 
preserved. 

It  is  a  singular  thing  how  everything  works  out  accord- 
ing to  a  preconceived  plan ;  how  exactly  one  part  is  made 
to  meet  or  fit  into  another  part  in  the  course  of  develop- 
ment. The  spermatozoon  knows  what  the  female  cell 
will  have  to  start  in  life  with  so  he  comes  to  meet  her  pre- 
pared accordingly.  The  female  cell  seems  to  know  what 
the  spermatozoon  will  bring,  so  she  leaves  those  same 
things  behind.  She  knows  what  he  will  have  to  contend 
with  in  his  struggle  to  reach  her  and  that  he  cannot  be 
bothered  with  carrying  a  food  supply,  so  she  provides  the 
food.  She  seems  to  know  how  much  she  will  need  and 
how  long  it  will  take  the  body  cells  to  connect  them  with 
food  supply  from  the  body.  In  several  species  special 
food  carriers  .are  provided,  which  are  called  nurse  cells. 
They  stay  with  the  germ  cells  and  furnish  them  with  food 
until  they  get  started  in  life.  Here  is  what  Prof.  Wilson 
has  to  say  about  them : 

"As  the  primordial  germ  cells  enlarge  and  form  the 
mother  cells  of  the  egg,  they  almost  invariably  become 
intimately  associated  with  neighboring  cells,  which  not 
only  support  and  protect  them  but  also  serve  as  a  means 
for  the  elaboration  of  food  for  the  growing  egg  cells.  In 


98     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

most  cases,  as  ovarian  development  proceeds,  definite  as- 
sociation is  established  between  the  egg  and  surrounding 
cells.  As  a  rule  the  material  elaborated  by  the  nutritive 
cells  is  passed  into  the  egg  either  in  solution  or  in  the 
form  of  granular  protoplasmic  substance.  In  some  form 
each  egg  is  accompanied  by  a  single  nurse  cell  attached 
to  its  side  with  which  it  floats  free  in  the  body  cavity.  The 
nurse  cell  is  at  first  much  larger  than  the  egg  cell.  The 
egg  cell  rapidly  grows,  apparently  at  the  expense  of  the 
nurse  cell,  which  becomes  reduced  to  a  mere  rudiment, 
attached  to  one  side  of  the  egg  and  finally  disappears.  In 
mysostoma,  the  young  egg  is  accompanied  by  two  nurse 
cells,  one  at  either  end." 

This  shows  clearly  that  the  germ  cells,  as  they  start 
out  from  one  body  with  the  intention  of  building  another 
and  new  body,  are  generally  provided  with  food  to  give 
them  a  start  in  life ;  and  in  many  cases  separate  cells  or 
servants  are  provided  who  go  with  them  and  carry  the 
food  for  them.  The  reader  must  be  able  to  see  at  this 
time  that  the  cells  in  all  the  details  of  their  inner  life  act 
precisely  as  we  do.  They  act  with  a  purpose  and  accord- 
ing to  a  preconceived  plan.  Why  should  they  act  differ- 
ently? The  ideas  that  direct  our  actions  are  nothing  more 
than  the  ideas  of  cells  located  in  our  head,  who  have 
charge  of  that  particular  work  in  our  bodies  of  thinking 
and  directing  our  actions: 

There  must  have  been  a  time  in  the  past  million  years 
when  those  primordial  cells  that  make  up  the  cell  and 
which  they  call  chromatin  granules,  lived  separate  and 
single  lives  alone  in  the  world,  just  as  a  great  number  of 
species  of  the  single  cell  are  doing  today.  You  might  say 
that  from  the  way  it  looks,  the  cell  is  not  the  real  builder 
but  that  the  real  builder  is  the  primordial  cells  that  have 
associated  together  and  organized  this  individual  we  call 


THE  CELL  99 

cell.  However  that  may  be,  the  cell  is  clearly  a  separate 
living  individual  or  animal  regardless  from  what  he  is 
organized  or  of  what  composed.  Ernest  Haeckel  states, 
"The  cells  are  individual  life  centers,  and  the  uni- 
fied life  of  the  whole  man  is  the  combined  result  of  the 
work  of  his  component  cells.  In  this  way  the  cells  are  the 
real  life'  units  of  the  organism.  Their  individual  inde- 
pendence is  at  once  seen  in  the  permanently  unicellular 
protists  of  which  several  thousand  species  are  already 
known  to  us." 

It  appears  that  the  cell  has  organs  with  which  it  is  able 
to  see,  feel  and  hear.  Still  I  do  not  see  how  they  can  have 
these  organs  in  the  same  sense  that  we  consider  hearing 
and  seeing.  Here  is  what  one  scientist  has  to  say  about 
the  cell  possessing  organs  of  sight  and  hearing:  "It  is 
impossible  to  believe  that  these  organs  are  not  eyes  for 
they  have  the  same  structure  as  eyes  of  comparatively 
higher  classes  of  animals,  such  as  certain  worms,  tubu- 
laria,  rotifers,  lower  class  crustaceans,  etc.  All  these  or- 
gans are  similarly  formed  of  a  small  crystalline  globule 
inclosed  in  a  small  mass  of  pigmentary  matter.  The  iden- 
tity of  structure  naturally  leads  to  the  assumption  of  the 
identity  of  functions." 

Ernest  Haeckel  claims  for  the  cell  a  definite  mouth  and 
annus.  Here  is  what  he  has  to  say : 

"The  great  class  of  rhisopods  is  distinguished  by  the 
fact  that  their  naked  plasma  bodies  can  take  in  ready 
formed  solid  food  at  any  point  of  the  body.  On  the  other 
hand  most  of  the  infusoria  have  a  definite  mouth  opening 
in  the  outer  walls  of  their  unicellular  bodies  and  some- 
times a  gullet  tube  as  well.  Besides  this  cell  house  we 
usually  find  also  a  second  opening  for  the  discharge  of 
indigestible  matter,  a  cell  annus." 

Prof.    Haeckel  has  also  been  able  to  see  the  movements 


100     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

of  the  primordial  cells  inside  of  the  cell  and  this  is  what 
he  says  in  reference  to  their  appearance : 

"In  the  rhizopod,  the  remarkable  protozoan  who  as  a 
unicellular  organism  sheds  so  much  light  on  the  obscure 
wonders  of  life,  we  notice  a  curious  streaming  of  the  gran- 
ules in  the  living  plasm.  Within  the  cytoplasm  of  the 
amoeba  particles  travel  up  and  down  in  all  directions." 

The  following  is  Prof.  Haeckel's  observation  in  refer- 
ence to  how  they  act  in  conjugation : 

"When  two  ciliated  Infusoria  conjugate,  they  place 
themselves  side  by  side  and  connect  for  a  time  by  means 
of  a  bridge  of  plasm.  A  part  of  the  nucleus  of  each  has 
already  divided  into  two  portions,  one  of  which  functions 
as  the  female  standing  nucleus  and  the  other  as  the  male 
traveling  nucleus.  The  two  mobile  nuclei  enter  the  plasm 
bridge  and  move  through  it,  pushing  against  each  other 
into  the  body  of  the  opposite  cell ;  they  then  coalesce  with 
the  deeper  lying  standing  nucleus.  When  the  fresh  nu- 
cleus has  thus  been  formed  (by  amphimixis)  in  each  of 
the  copulating  cells,  they  again  separate.  The  two  re- 
juvenated cells  have  once  more  acquired  the  power  to 
propagate  for  a  time  by  division." 

Mr.  Binet,  who  believes  the  cells  show  a  psychic  phe- 
nomena, makes  the  following  remarks :  "The  sexual  ele- 
ments and  especially  the  spermatozoid  of  all  unicellular 
organisms  are  certainly  the  ones  which  show  the  most 
highly  developed  psychical  functions :  the  act  of  seeking 
and  approaching  the  ovule,  which  is  frequently  situated 
at  quite  some  distance  from  where  the  male  element  is  de- 
posited ;  the  length  of  road  to  be  traveled ;  the  obstacles 
to  be  overcome ;  all  point  to  faculties  in  the  spermatozoid 
that  are  not  explainable  by  simple  irritability." 

The  reader  by  this  time  will  see  that  not  only  has  the 
cell  all  the  special  sense  organs  possessed  by  animals  in 


THE  CELL  101 

general  but  in  addition  has  others,  the  purpose  of  which  is 
not  yet  understood;  and  that  it  performs  all  the  actions 
and  functions  of  life  performed  by  animals.  It  must  begin 
to  appear  to  the  reader  at  this  time  that  the  cell  must 
have  a  mind  and  intelligence  similar  to  our  own.  How- 
ever, the  scientists  of  today  do  not  seem  to  so  consider  it. 
Therefore,  I  must  use  these  statements  of  others  in  refer- 
ence to  the  actions  of  the  cell  to  demonstrate  my  conten- 
tion. 

We  shall  now  consider  their  method  of  nutrition  and 
respiration.  The  reader  must  remember  that  the  cell  is 
a  perfect  and  complete  animal,  that  it  must  have  food,  air 
and  protection  from  the  elements  in  the  same  manner  as  a 
human  being.  While  it  has  been  quite  conclusively 
shown  heretofore  that  the  cell  must  have  oxygen  from 
the  air  and  also  food  in  order  to  exist,  I  shall  quote  a  few 
statements  from  scientists  to  show  the  actions  and  re- 
quirements of  the  cells.  "There  seem  to  be  three  classes 
or  methods  by  which  cells  obtain  their  food,  viz : 

First — The  plant  cells  that  make  their  own  food  from 
the  raw  material  of  earth,  air  and  water  through  chemical 
action  brought  about  by  the  aid  of  sunlight. 

Second — Saprophytic  beings  who  live  on  decayed  or 
dead  matter. 

Third — Those  that  live  on  other  lives.  The  second 
class  are  called  scavengers  and  the  third  class  parasites." 
I  shall  here  quote  Mr.  Binet,  who  makes  the  statement, 
that  the  actions  of  the  cell  show  choice  and  discretion ; 
and  this  is  what  he  has  to  say  in  reference  to  their  mode 
of  nutrition : 

"Nutrition  by  endosmosis,  or  saprophytic.  The  organ- 
ism nourishes  itself  by  absorbing  through  the  whole  sur- 
face of  its  body,  liquids  containing  the  products  of  yege- 


102     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

table  or  animal  decomposition.  Saprophytic  beings  are 
found  in  putrid  waters  or  in  infusions. 

"There  is  now  a  last  mode  of  nutrition,  of  which  we 
shall  treat  in  minute  detail ;  viz.,  animal  nutrition,  where 
the  micro-organism  seizes  solid  alimentary  particles  and 
nourishes  itself  after  the  fashion  of  an  animal,  whether 
it  be  by  means  of  a  permanent  mouth  or  by  means  of 
an  adventitious  one  improvised  at  the  moment  of  need. 

"Animal  nutrition  requires  very  remarkable  psycholog- 
ical faculties  in  the  organisms  practising  it.  These  mani- 
festations of  psychic  life,  the  progressive  complexity  of 
which  we  intend  to  trace  in  starting  from  the  simplest 
protozoic  forms  and  arriving  at  the  higher,  prove  that 
these  animalcula  are  endowed  with  memory  and  volition. 

"The  micro-organisms  do  not  nourish  themselves  in- 
discriminately, nor  do  they  feed  blindly  upon  every  sub- 
stance that  chances  in  their  way.  Also  when  they  ingest 
food  through  some  point  or  other  of  their  bodies,  they  un- 
derstand perfectly  how  to  make  a  choice  of  the  particles 
they  wish  to  absorb.  This  choice  is  sometimes  quite  well 
defined,  for  there  are  species  which  feed  exclusively  upon 
particular  foods.  Thus  there  are  herbivorous  Infusoria 
and  carnivorous  Infusoria.  Among  the  herbivorous  ones 
may  be  classed  the  chilodons,  which  feed  upon  small  algae 
diatomaceae  and  Oscillaria.  The  paramecia  live  princi- 
pally upon  bacteria,  the  leucophrys  is  a  specimen  of  the 
carnivorous  class.  It  devours  even  the  smaller  animals  of 
its  own  kind." 

"The  Bodo  caudatus  is  a  voracious  flagellate  possessed 
of  extraordinary  audacity.  It  combines  in  troups  to  at- 
tack animalcules  100  times  as  large  as  itself  as  the  colpods 
for  instance,  which  are  veritable  giants  when  placed  along 
side  of  the  Bodo.  Like  a  horse  attacked  by  a  pack  of 
wolves,  the  colpod  is  soon  rendered  powerless ;  twenty, 


THE  CELL  103 

thirty,  forty  bodos  throw  themselves  upon  him,  eviscerate 
and  devour  him  completely  (Stein)." 

Here  is  what  Mr.  Haeckel  has  .to  say  about  the  parasitic 
habits  of  some  cells. 

"By  parasites  in  the  narrower  sense,  we  understand  in 
modern  biology  only  those  organisms  which  live  on  others 
and  derive  their  nourishment  from  them.  They  are  numer- 
ous in  all  the  chief  divisions  of  the  plant  and  animal  king- 
doms and  their  modifications  are  of  great  interest  in  con- 
nection with  evolution.  No  other  circumstance  has  so 
profound  an  influence  on  the  organisms  as  adaptation  to 
a  parasitic  existence. 

"I  have  already  spoken  of  the  many  peculiarities  of  me- 
tabolism in  the  ubiquitous  bacteria ;  while  many  of  them 
cause  putrefaction,  they  at  the  same  time  feed  on  the 
parts  of  other  organisms  which  have  died.  The  fungi  feed 
for  the  most  part  on  the  .decayed  remains  of  plants  and 
the  product  of  putrefaction  which  accumulates  on  the 
ground.  In  this  character  of  scavengers  they  play  the 
same  important  part  on  land  as  the  sponges  do  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  sea." 

I  must  here  tell  the  reader  something  about  the  cell 
colony  called  the  volvox  : 

These  cells  bunch  themselves  into  colonies  of  about 
twelve  thousand  individuals.  Some  are  male  and  female 
and  some  only  workers  or  neutrals.  The  common  labor- 
ers or  neutral  cells  are  all  provided  with  hands  which 
they  use  to  push  and  propel  themselves  through  the  water 
backwards  or  forwards  like  a  raft  or  submarine.  Five 
thousand  like  the  galley  slaves  of  old  paddle  the  water 
with  their  arms  at  the  same  time  and  in  that  way  trans- 
port the  other  seven  thousand  males  and  females  to  such 
places  as  they  may  choose  to  go.  Just  consider  this,  for  a 
minute :  a  boat  or  raft  pushed  through  the  water  by  five 


104     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

thousand  individuals,  all  working  under  the  command  of 
some  one  cell  directing  their  course.  They  must  neces- 
sarily work  under  the  direction  of  one  cell  or  else  how 
could  all  these  five  thousand  individuals  push  or  pull  in 
unison.  How  could  they  all  pull  or  push  together  the 
same  instant  in  order  to  go  either  forward  or  backward 
unless  there  was  someone  in  command  to  give  the  orders 
when  to  go  either  forwards  or  backwards.  This  shows 
clearly  how  the  cells  are  able  to  organize  themselves  so 
as  to  work  together  in  harmony  to  affect  their  purpose. 
Still  it  is  but  a  very  crude  organization  as  compared  with 
the  high  state  of  organization  and  co-operation  practised 
by  the  plant  and  animal  building  cells.  Here  is  what  Mr. 
Binet  has  to  say  about  this  colony  of  cells  called  the 
volvox : 

"In  the  genus  of  volvox  colonies  are  found  of  which 
the  structure  is  very  complicated.  Such  are  the  great 
green  balls  formed  by  the  aggregation  of  diminutive  or- 
ganisms, which  form  the  surface  of  the  sphere  and  are 
joined  together  by  their  envelope.  They  have  each  two 
flagella  which  pass  through  the  inclosing  membrane  and 
swing  unimpeded  on  the  outside;  the  envelopes  each 
tightly  holding  the  other  form  hexagonal  figures  exactly 
like  the  cells  of  a  honeycomb.  Each  volvox  is  at  liberty 
within  its  own  envelope,  but  it  projects  protoplasmic  ex- 
tensions, which  pass  through  its  cuticle  and  place  it  in 
communication  with  its  neighbor.  It  is  probable  that 
these  protoplasmic  filaments  act  like  so  many  telegraphic 
threads  to  establish  a  net  work  of  communication  among 
all  the  individuals  of  the  same  colony.  It  is  necessary,  in 
fact,  that  these  diminutive  organisms  be  in  communica- 
tion with  each  other  in  order  that  their  flagella  may  move 
in  unison  and  that  the  entire  colony  may  act  as  a  unit  and 
in  obedience  to  a  single  impulse.  The  number  of  micro- 


THE  CELL  105 

organisms  constituting  a  volvox  colony  is  quite  consider- 
able; as  many  as  twelve  thousand  have  been  counted. 

"It  was  upon  analogous  phenomena  that  Gruber  based 
the  existence  of  a  diffused  nervous  system  in  the  stentors. 
The  same  line  of  reasoning  may  be  followed  in  the  case  of 
the  volvox.  Since  unanimity  of  movement  is  demonstra- 
ble among  twelve  thousand  micro-organisms  constituting 
a  colony,  it  must  be  inferred  that  their  movement  is  regu- 
lated by  the  action  of  a  diffused  nervous  system  present  in 
the  protoplasm.  This  conclusion  is  all  the  more  interest- 
ing from  the  fact  that  these  volvox  are  vegetable  micro- 
organisms. In  the  dioecian  volvox  the  female  cellules 
and  male  cellules  are  joined  together  by  themselves  in 
separate  colonies.  When  the  time  of  fecundation  arrives 
the  male  cellules  scatter  and  proceed  to  conjugate  with 
the  female  cellules.  The  colony  which  bears  the  female 
cellules  also  contains  neutral  cellules  which  are  not  desig- 
nated for  fecundation ;  the  latter  simply  perform  a  loco- 
motive function ;  equipped  with  one  eye  and  two  flagella, 
they  are  intended  to  move  the  great  colonial  ball ;  they 
are  the  oarsmen  of  the  colony.  The  volvox  male,  female 
and  neutral  all  seek  the  light,  whether  solar  or  artificial, 
and  settle  near  the  surface  of  the  water.  As  soon  as  the 
female  colonies  have  been  fecundated,  the  oospores 
change  their  color,  they  turn  from  green  to  an  orange 
yellow.  At  this  time  the  colony  is  seen  to  draw  away 
from  the  light  and  to  disappear  from  the  surface  of  the 
water.  This  change  of  position  is  affected  by  means  of 
the  vibratile  cilia  with  which  each  neutral  cell  is  furnished 
and  which  projects  beyond  the  gelatinous  sphere.  Now 
as  no  change  of  color  or  form  is  noticed  in  the  neutral 
cells  after  fecundation,  it  may  be  asked  from  what  cause 
they  flee  from  the  light  which  they  formerly  sought." 

You  notice  he  ends  by  asking  why  they  leave  the  light 


106     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

which  they  formerly  sought.  Now  to  me  that  is  very 
clear.  These  volvox  cells  are  of  the  plant  species.  They 
understand  how  to  make  their  own  food  and  building  ma- 
terial from  the  raw  material  at  hand  by  the  aid  of  sun- 
light. They  row  their  raft  into  the  sunlight  now  and  then 
in  order  to  make  food  consisting  generally  of  starch  and 
such  other  material  as  they  need  and  when  they  get 
through,  they  move  into  the  shade  to  rest  up  and  enjoy 
themselves. 

There  is  one  method  practised  in  reproduction  by  the 
smaller  cells  like  bacteria  and  plant  building  cells,  that 
is,  the  forming  of  spores,  which  I  must  mention  here 
briefly.  A  spore  is  a  cell  protected  with  a  hard  covering 
against  wind,  weather  and  climate,  wherein  it  can  remain 
until  favorable  conditions  shall  arise  to  perform  the  or- 
dinary functions  of  life  or  to  begin  the  building  of  a  new 
structure.  Some  spores,  however,  are  able  to  swim  about 
actively  until  they  find  their  mates  or  places  to  locate  and 
build  their  new  structures,  whether  plant  or  animal. 

The  following  is  from  our  High  School  Botany  in  re- 
gard to  these  individuals  called  spores : 

"Any  one  of  these  cells  may  produce  within  itself  a  sin- 
gle large  swimming  spore,  which  escapes  from  the  mother 
cell  into  the  water.  At  its  more  pointed  clear  end,  there 
is  a  little  crown  of  cilia  by  means  of  which  it  swims  about 
rapidly.  These  spores  finally  anchor  themselves  and  each 
one  produces  a  new  filament.  It  has  been  observed  that 
these  small  swimming  cells  come  together  in  pairs  and 
fuse,  each  pair  thus  forming  one  new  cell.  The  cell  thus 
formed  passes  through  a  resting  period  (usually  during 
winter)  then  begins  to  grow  and  finally  produces  four 
swimming  spores,  each  of  which  is  able  to  produce  a  new 
filament  of  ulothrix.  Here  is  evidently  a  third  method  of 
reproduction,  which  is  peculiar  in  the  fact  that  two  spe- 


THE  CELL  107 

cial  cells  unite  to  form  the  spore  that  produces  the  new 
cell. 

"When  these  cells  formed  by  internal  division  escape 
from  the  mother  cell  into  the  water,  it  is  discovered  that 
they  are  able  to  swim  about  by  the  lashing  movements  of 
four  cilia,  that  appear  in  a  cluster  at  the  pointed  end. 

"A  special  cell  thus  set  apart  for  reproduction  is  called 
a  spore,  and  spores  that  swim  are  distinguished  as  swim- 
ming spores.  A  very  important  fact  about  ulothrix  there- 
fore is  that  it  reproduces  not  only  by  vegetable  multipli- 
cation but  also  by  swimming  spores. 

"In  other  cells  of  the  same  filaments,  or  in  cells  of  fila- 
ments under  different  conditions,  the  same  formation  of 
cells  by  internal  division  may  be  observed,  but  the  con- 
tained cells  are  smaller  and  more  numerous.  When  they 
escape  it  is  discovered  that  they  also  are  ciliated  swim- 
ming cells  but  since  they  do  not  produce  new  filaments, 
it  is  evident  that  they  are  not  swimming  spores." 

I  think  I  have  now  covered  in  a  general  way  the  most 
important  features  connected  with  the  inner  life  of  the 
cell.  I  might  mention  that  the  ability  of  the  cell  to  pro- 
vide itself  and  build  around  itself  protective  coverings  and 
armor  of  different  materials  and  designs,  from  a  soft  flexi- 
ble covering  to  one  as  hard  as  flint,  has  been  the  stepping 
stone  by  which  the  cell  has  been  able  to  build  the  many 
peculiar  structures,  and  to  display  the  marvelous  archi- 
tecture which  we  shall  find  when  we  come  to  consider 
the  living  structures,  in  a  chapter  devoted  entirely  to  that 
subject. 


CHAPTER  4. 
THE  LIVING  STRUCTURES. 

The  crust  of  the  earth  discloses  to  us  like  the  leaves  in 
a  book  an  enormous  number  of  animals  and  plants  that 
have  lived  in  the  past  but  are  now  extinct  and  no  more. 
Every  layer  and  stratum  is  a  page  in  the  history  of  the 
life  that  has  existed  on  this  planet  in  the  past.  Just  what 
was  the  cause  of  failure  and  its  extermination  in  some 
cases  is  not  easy  to  tell.  However  in  the  evolution  of 
living  structures,  it  is  the  same  as  in  the  evolution  of  other 
structures  and  those  produced  by  man,  the  best  will  be  re- 
tained and  the  inferior  rejected. 

The  discovery  by  some  animals  of  how  to  make  feathers 
with  which  to  cover  their  bodies  and  wings  with  which  to 
fly,  was  a  great  invention  and  improvement,  which  caused 
a  great  change  in  the  flying  animals.  The  living  struc- 
tures that  have  existed  in  the  past  show  the  same  gradual 
evolution  and  improvement  by  new  inventions  and  dis- 
coveries as  the  evolution  of  man  from  his  savage  state 
up  to  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Haeckel  states,  "Cells  are  grouped  together  un- 
der the  idea  of  sculptors  or  builders  because  they  alone  in 
reality  build  the  organisms." 

As  to  this  fact,  I  agree  with  him,  but  I  do  not  agree 
with  him  when  he  states  that  the  cause  of  the  building  is 
only  a  chemical  and  mechanical  force,  and  that  it  all 


THE  LIVING  STRUCTURES  109 

comes  about  by  chance.  The  inorganic  forces  like  elec- 
tricity, heat,  etc.  do  not  produce  anything  for  a  purpose 
nor  do  rocks  and  dead  matter  produce  machines  or 
houses.  Mr.  Haeckel  states:  -"We  notice  the  very  re- 
markable fact  that  the  egg  cell  in  its  original  condition  is 
so  exactly  the  same  in  man  as  in  all  other  animals  that  it 
is  impossible  to  discover  any  essential  difference." 

He  gives  the  following  figure  9  to  illustrate  this,  and 
then  he  goes  on  and  gives  a  description  of  the  cell  to  show 
what  a  perfect  and  complete  animal  he  is.  He  says :  "In 
order  to  be  thoroughly  convinced  that  every  cell  is  an 
independent  organism,  it  is  only  necessary  to  trace  the 
active  phenomenon  and  development  of  one  of  these  tiny 
bodies.  We  then  see  that  it  performs  all  the  essential 
life  functions  which  the  entire  organism  accomplishes. 
Every  one  of  these  little  beings  grows  and  feeds  itself  in- 
dependently. It  assimilates  juices  from  without,  absorb- 
ing them  from  the  surrounding  fluid.  The  naked  cells 
can  even  take  up  solid  particles  at  any  point  of  their  sur- 
face and  therefore  eat  without  using  any  mouth  or  stom- 
ach. Each  separate  cell  is  also  able  to  reproduce  itself 
and  to  increase.  This  increase  generally  takes  place  by 
simple  division.  The  nucleus  parting  first  by  a  contrac- 
tion round  its  circumference  into  two  parts,  after  which 
the  protoplasm  likewise  separates  into  two  divisions.  The 
single  cell  is  also  able  to  move  and  creep  about  if  it  has 
room  for  free  motion  and  if  not  prevented  by  a  solid  cov- 
ering. From  its  outer  surface  it  sends  out  and  draws  back 
agai-n  finger  like  processes,  thereby  modifying  its  form. 
Finally  the  young  cell  has  feeling  and  is  more  or  less  sen- 
sitive. It  performs  certain  movements  on  the  application 
of  chemical  and  mechanical  irritance.  Thus  we  can  trace 
in  the  single  cell  all  the  essential  functions,  the  sum  of 
which  constitute  the  idea  of  life,  feeling,  motion,  nutrition 


110 


CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 


FIG.  9. — Primitive  eggs  of  various  animals,  performing  amoeboid  movements 
(very  much  enlarged).  All  primitive  eggs  are  naked  cells,  capable,  of  change  of 
form.  Within  the  dark,  finely  granulated  protoplasm  (egg-yelk)  lies  a  large 
vesicular  kernel  (the  germ-vesicle),  and  in  the  latter  is  a  nucleolus  (germ-spot); 
in  the  nucleolus  a  germ-point  (nucleolinus)  is  often  visible.  Fig.  A  1 —  A  4.  The 
primitive  egg  of  a  Chalk  Sponge  (Leticulmis  echinus),  in  four  consecutive  condi- 
tions of  motion.  Fig.  B  1 — B  8.  The  primitive  egg  of  a  Hermit-crab  (Chon- 
dracanthus  cornutus),  in  eight  consecutive  conditions  of  motion  (after  E.  van 
Beneden).  Fig.  C  1 — C  5.  Primitive  egg  of  a  Cat,  in  four  different  conditions  of 
motion  (after  Pfluger).  Fig.  D.  Primitive  egg  of  a  Trout.  Fig.  E.  Primitive 
egg  of  a  Hen.  Fig.  F.  Primitive  human  egg. — HAECKEL. 


THE   LIVING   STRUCTURES  HI 

and  reproduction.  All  these  properties,  which  the  multi- 
cellular  highly  developed  animal  possesses,  appear  in 
each  separate  cell  at  least  in  youth.  There  is  no  longer 
any  doubt  about  this  fact  and  we  may  therefore  regard  it 
as  the  basis  of  our  physiological  idea  of  the  elementary 
organisms." 

After  this  general  description  of  the  cells  of  the  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  body,  he  makes  the  following  statement 
in  reference  to  the  brain  cells:  "In  the  protozoa  in  the 
one  cell  plants  and  primitive  animals,  the  whole  organism 
permanently  consists  only  of  a  single  cell.  On  the  con- 
trary in  most  animals  and  plants,  it  is  only  in  the  earliest 


FIG.  10. — Three  epithelial  cells  from  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  tongue. — 
HAECKEL. 

period  of  individual  existence  that  the  organism  is  a  sim- 
ple cell.  It  afterwards  forms  a  cell  society  or  more  cor- 
rectly an  organized  cell  state.  The  human  body  is  not 
in  reality  a  simple  life  unit  as  is  at  first  the  universally 
current  simple  belief  of  man.  It  is  rather  an  extremely 
complex  social  community  of  innumerable  microscopic 
organisms,  a  colony  or  a  state  consisting  of  countless  in- 
dependent life  units  of  different  kinds  of  cells.  *  *  *  All 
the  numerous  tissues  of  the  animal  body  such  as  the  en- 
tirely dissimilar  tissues  of  the  nerves,  muscles,  bones, 
outer  skin,  mucous  skin  and  of  other  similar  parts  are 
originally  composed  of  cells,  and  the  same  is  true  of  all 


112    CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 

the  various  tissues  of  the  vegetable  body.  These  cells, 
which  we  shall  hereafter  consider  more  closely,  are  inde- 
pendent living  beings,  the  citizens  of  the  state,  which  con- 
stitute the  entire  multicellular  organisms.  We  thus  have 
before  us  a  highly  complex  apparatus,  the  more  minute 
structure  of  which  we  have  hardly  begun  to  know,  even 
with  the  help  of  our  strongest  microscope  and  the  signifi- 
cance of  which  we  rather  guess  than  know.  Its  complex 
mechanism  is  capable  of  the  most  intricate  psychical 
functions.  But  even  this  elementary  organ  of  mental  ac- 
tivity of  which  there  are  thousands  in  our  brain,  is  only 
a  single  cell.  Our  whole  intellectual  life  is  but  the  sum 
of  the  results  of  the  activity  of  all  such  nerve  cells  or  mind 
cells." 

The  living  structures  that  we  see  include  all  those 
things  containing  life  such  as  plants,  trees,  insects,  ani- 
mals, birds,  fish,  etc.  They  are  all  produced  by  the  cell. 
They  are  constantly  changing,  a  fact  which  proves  that 
the  builders  are  all  the  time  trying  to  improve  their  habi- 
tation in  order  to  meet  some  climatic  or  other  condition, 
or  obtain  some  advantage  in  one  way  or  another  in  the 
struggle  for  existence.  By  reason  of  this  fact,  the  scien- 
tists have  decided  that  it  is  impossible  to  classify  them  as 
animals  and  plants  because  they  overlap  each  other  so 
gradually  that  it  is  impossible  to  tell  where  the  one  be- 
gins and  the  other  ends.  We  might  classify  them  gen- 
erally as  either  movable  or  as  stationary  structures.  The 
plant  building  cells  usually  build  stationary  structures  be- 
cause they  are  able  to  make  their  own  food  and  building 
material  by  the  aid  of  sunlight  from  the  raw  material  of 
earth,  air  and  water.  The  animal  building  cells  on  the 
other  hand  being  compelled  to  move  about  in  search  of 
food  build  movable  structures.  The  classification  would 
not  in  all  cases  be  correct,  as  some  plants  have  movable 


THE  LIVING  STRUCTURES  113 

parts  such  as  sensitive  and  insect  catching  plants.  How- 
ever, as  a  general  classification,  it  is  as  good  as  any  to  con- 
sider them  as  either  stationary  or  movable  habitations  of 
the  cell,  just  as  a  house  is  a  stationary  habitation  of  man 
while  a  ship  is  a  movable  one. 

Some  of  the  simplest  structures  are  mere  associations 
or  groups  of  cells  like  the  micro  gromia  socialias.  These 
cells  understand  how  to  inclose  themselves  in  shells,  and 
stick  the  shells  together,  and  in  that  way  remain  together 
in  a  social  community.  They  have  already  discovered  the 
art  of  building  covers  or  armours  about  themselves  of 


FIG.  11. — Blood-cells,  which  increase  by  divi- 
sion, from  the  embryo  of  a  young  stag.  Each 
blood-cell  has  originally  a  kernel,  and  is  globular 
fa).  When  they  are  about  to  increase,  the  cell- 
kernel,  or  nucleus,  first  separates  into  two 
kernels  (b,  c,  d).  The  protoplasmic  body  then 
becomes  pinched  in  at  a  point  between  the  two 
kernels,  which  become  more  widely  separated 
from  each  other  (e).  Finally  a  complete  sepa- 
ration between  the  two  parts  is  effected  at  the 
ooint  where  tfte  original  cell  was  pinched  in,  so 
that  there  are  now  two  cells  (f). — HAECKEL. 


lime  and  other  materials,  and  the  advantage  of  associat- 
ing together  for  offensive  and  defensive  purposes  in  the 
struggle  for  existence.  Fig.  12  is  a  description  of  this  ani- 
mal taken  from  a  text  book  on  zoology.  This  cell  is 
similar  to  the  cell  heretofore  considered  under  the  name 
of  volvox.  Man  in  his  first  days  of  development  is  also  a 
mere  cluster  of  cells,  the  same  as  this.  After  the  cluster 
is  formed,  then  these  arrange  themselves  into  layers  in 
the  shape  of  a  cup,  which  is  the  beginning  of  the  stomach. 
A  wonderful  plant  or  animal,  whatever  a  person  may  wish 
to  call  it,  is  the  Physalia.  It  is  also  called  the  Portuguese 


114 


CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 


man-of-war.    In  a  book  on  Zoology  it  is  briefly  described 
as  follows : 

"One  of  the  most  remarkable  and  best  known  of  this 
group.  It  consists  of  a  pear  shaped  and  elegantly  crested 
air  sac  floating  lightly  upon  the  surface  of  the  water  and 
giving  off  from  its  under  surface  numerous  long  and  var- 
ied appendages.  These  appendages  are  the  different  mem- 
bers of  the  community  and  perform  different  functions, — 
some  eating  for  the  whole,  others  producing  medusi  buds 


FIG.  12. — Microgromia  socialis.  A,  entire  colony;  B,  single  zooid;  C,  has 
undergone  binary  fission,  with  one  of  the  daughter-cells  creeping  out  of  the 
shell;  D,  flagellula;  c.  vac.  contractile  vacuole;  nu.  nucleus;  sh.  shell. 

and  others  being  the  locomotive  members,  the  latter  hav- 
ing tentacles  with  powerful  stingers  that  stretch  out  be- 
hind the  floating  community.  The  air  sac  is  three  or  four 
inches  long." 

The  social  community  of  cells  that  build  this  structure 
called  Portuguese  man-of-war,  show  wonderful  skill,  as 
they  are  able  to  sink  or  swim  at  will.  The  Albatross  Ex- 
pedition describes  them  as  follows :  "The  slime  on  the 
sea  weed  for  instance  may  have  come  from  a  most  poison- 
ous jellyfish  known  as  the  Portuguese  man-of-war,  that 


THE  LIVING  STRUCTURES 


115 


FIG.  13. — Physalia   or   Portuguese   Man   of    War;  the    living   animal    floating 
on  the  surface  of  the  sea.     cr.  crest;  p.  polype;  pn.  pneumatophore. 


has  stung  to  death  many  valiant  swimmers  with  its  ten 
foot  streamers,  that  paralyze  the  body.  On  fair  days 
these  formidable  creatures  lift  their  pink  and  blue  oval 


116     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

crests  above  the  surface,  but  in  rough  weather  they  sink 
and  one  of  their  streamers  entangled  in  a  tow  net  might 
do  serious  harm,  as  happens  on  the  slime  banks  of  Behr- 
ing  Sea,  where  the  cod  fishermen  suffer  grievously  when 
their  lines  come  up  smeared  with  a  poisonous  jelly  fish 
excretion.  It  was  the  'Albatross'  that  traced  the  cause  of 
this  Behring  Sea  fishing  trouble  to  a  jelly  fish." 

We  see  that  this  colony  of  cells  can  sink  when  necessary 
to  evade  the  crushing  force  of  the  waves  and  again  float 
when  the  weather  and  conditions  are  favorable.  This  ani- 
mal looks  like  the  ordinary  sea  weed  floating  on  the  water 
but  upon  a  closer  investigation  we  find  that  this  is  more 
than  a  mere  social  gathering  of  the  cells.  Here  they  have 
discovered  the  advantage  of  specialization ;  each  bunch  of 
cells  takes  charge  of  its  particular  line  of  work,  such  as 
moving  about,  reproduction,  capturing  and  devouring 
smaller  individuals  for  food.  You  notice  that  they  have 
also  discovered  a  method  by  which  they  kill  and  capture 
other  animals  for  food  by  a  powerful  sting.  It  is  not 
likely  that  they  can  see  or  hear  in  the  sense  that  we  under- 
stand that  power.  They  can,  however,  feel,  smell  and 
taste.  The  thinking  capacity  of  the  cells  that  make  up 
this  social  community  must  be  the  best,  when  we  consider 
the  discoveries  and  inventions  they  have  perfected  in  the 
course  of  their  development  from  the  single  cell  to  the 
present  state.  Consider  the  million  of  individuals  in- 
volved and  occupied  with  their  different  kinds  of  work, 
in  the  make  up  of  this  social  community.  This  colony  of 
cells  we  call  Physalia  or  Portuguese  man-of-war  is  called 
an  individual. 

We  might  next  consider  the  Star  Fish.  It  has  one  eye ; 
and  has  feet  with  sucker  ends  so  that  it  is  able  to  walk 
almost  anywhere  and  in  any  direction.  It  has  developed 
a  very  good  smelling  apparatus  and  is  very  well  equipped 


THE   LIVING  STRUCTURES  117 

for  life.  It  is  encased  in  a  star  shaped  structure,  strong 
and  tough  as  bone  and  its  star  shape  makes  it  a  disagree- 
able substance  to  swallow  by  any  larger  animal.  The 
cells  that  build  this  structure  have  been  able  to  hold  their 
own  in  the  struggle  for  existence  and  they  have  reason  to 
be  proud  of  the  progress  they  have  made  in  the  past  ages. 
We  might  consider  next  the  species  of  sea  plant  or  ani- 


FIG.   14. — Starfish.     General   view  of   the  ventral   surface,   showing   the   tube- 
feet. 

mal  called  the  antedon.  This  animal  fastens  itself  on  the 
sea  bottom.  It  starts  to  grow  in  the  same  manner  as  any 
other  animal.  The  single  individual  cell  who  starts  the 
building  of  this  animal,  first  swims  about  in  the  ocean, 
then  finally  settles  down  and  builds  this  structure.  The 
secret  of  the  success  and  progress  of  this  individual  is  in 
the  fact  that  it  covers  itself  with  such  disagreeable  build- 
ing material  that  other  animals  will  have  nothing  to  do 
with  it  and  cannot  use  it  as  food.  This  animal  has  been 


118 


CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 


able  to  produce  electric  lights  in  different  places  of  its 
body,  as  you  will  notice  from  the  following  by  the  Alba- 
tross Expedition :  "In  the  midst  of  gorgeous  submarine 
forests  and  waving  gardens  that  fringe  the  reefs  of  the 
ocean  floor  and  spread  over  its  vast  plains  are  abundant 
clusters  of  shining  trees  or  bushes,  known  as  sea  feathers 
or  sea  pens,  these  also  being  animals,  not  vegetables. 


FIG.   15. — Antedon.     Side  view  of  entire  animal. 

Their  long  stems  glow  with  a  dull  phosphorescent  light 
when  the  trowl  nets  bring  them  up  from  the  depths,  and 
if  they  are  touched  with  ammonia  they  shine  brightly.  It 
is  thought  that  the  light  is  dulled  through  their  fright  in 
capture  and  it  is  probable  that  normally  they  give  forth 
a  brilliant  radiance  when  they  desire  to  attract  their  prey 
or  to  terrify  their  enemies.  *  *  *  Never  was  there  an 
animal  so  lacking  in  any  immediate  usefulness  as  the 


THE  LIVING   STRUCTURES  119 

Crinoid.  It  cannot  move,  it  has  no  eyes ;  it  makes  no  at- 
tack; it  does  no  harm.  It  simply  eats,  playing  the  part  of 
universal  scavenger  of  the  seas,  catching  all  foods  that 
fall  through  the  waters,  animal  and  vegetable,  in  its  ten 
or  more  waving  arms,  each  of  which  has  a  long  groove 
lined  with  propulsive  hairs  that  work  the  food  along  in 
the  manner  of  a  moving  stairway  to  a  central  mouth  and 
stomach.  This  stomach  lies  between  the  basis  of  the 
arms,  which  rest  either  upon  a  long  stalk  or  upon  two  or 
three  dozen  legs,  that  cling  fast  to  rocks  or  other  animals 
or  spread  out  upon  the  surface  of  the  mud.  The  crinoid 
is  perhaps  the  only  creature  in  the  sea  that  is  not  desired 
as  food  by  some  other  creature,  but  these  animal  lilies, 
which  eat  everything,  are  not  themselves  to  be  eaten,  be- 
ing too  brittle,  too  full  of  lime,  all  skeleton,  as  it  were. 
Even  the  stomach  of  a  crinoid  has  its  own  skeleton." 

You  will  notice  that  this  animal  is  just  as  much  a  plant 
as  an  animal.  There  is  no  difference  in  the  beginning  nor 
in  the  development  of  a  plant  or  animal.  It  is  put  up  for 
a  purpose.  If  it  is  to  be  a  stationary  structure,  it  will  look 
like  a  plant ;  if  it  is  to  be  a  movable  structure  it  will  look 
like  an  animal.  It  all  depends  upon  the  purpose  for  which 
it  is  made.  This  animal,  which  grows  like  a  plant  in  the 
bottom  of  the  sea,  is  merely  a  house  lit  up  with  phos- 
phorescent lights  wherein  dwell  millions  of  individual 
cells. 

We  might  next  consider  a  very  large  group  of  struc- 
tures known  as  shell  animals.  The  cells  live  in  a  social 
colony  which  is  protected  with  a  shell  made  of  lime  and 
other  material.  The  shells  that  protect  them  are  usually 
of  such  strength  and  thickness  as  would  be  required  to 
withstand  the  pressure  and  force  of  the  water  at  that  par- 
ticular place,  or  the  animals  that  may  attack  them.  They 
are  simply  movable  houses  wherein  live  vast  colonies  of 


120     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

cells.  These  cell  colonies  are  generally  specialized  in 
their  work,  as  some  attend  to  locomotion,  some  to  diges- 
tion, etc.  Many  have  also  developed  special  sense  organs 
like  eyes  and  ears.  They  are  all  well  adapted  to  their 


FIG.   16. — Shell  of  Triton  nodiferus. 


place  and  condition  in  life  and  they  live  secure  and  com- 
fortable in  their  strong  and  beautiful  habitations. 

We  might  next  consider  the  individual  known  as  the 
cuttle  fish  and  he  is  a  wonder.  The  cuttle  fish  is  covered 
with  a  hard  shell  made  of  carbonate  of  lime  and  other 


THE  LIVING  STRUCTURES 


121 


hard  material.    Its  size  is  up  to  three  feet  in  length,  so  it 
is  small  enough  to  have  a  number  of  enemies.    It  is  pro- 


FIG.  17. — Sepia  cultrata  or  cuttle-fish.     Entire  animal  viewed  from  the  dorsal 
aspect. 

vided  with  a  sack  of  black  material  like  ink,  which  it 
throws  into  the  water  behind  it  when  pursued  by  ene- 
mies and  in  this  way  it  escapes  very  easily.  It  has  long 


122     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

tentacles  provided  with  powerful  suckers,  which  hang  on 
to  any  animal  that  touches  them.  It  does  not  look  like 
an  animal,  and  for  that  season  it  is  able  to  get  near  fish 
and  other  animals  on  which  it  feeds.  The  scheme  of 
throwing  ink  in  the  face  of  its  pursuers  is  not  the  only 
wonderful  invention  of  the  cells  that  build  this  individual. 
The  most  wonderful  is  its  power  to  chaange  its  color  at 
will.  If  its  surroundings  are  green,  it  will  change  from 
black  to  green,  etc.  How  is  it  able  to  do  this?  It  has 
been  demonstrated  that  the  cells  in  the  skin  get  a  picture 
of  the  outside  surroundings  through  the  eye,  that  the 
skin  cells  have  several  color  shades  on  hand  and  that  they 
stick  those  tints  up  to  the  surface  of  the  skin,  which  will 
produce  the  shade  desired.  It  shows  how  the  cells  in  the 
individual  communicate  and  work  with  each  other. 
The  skin  cells  gets  a  picture  of  the  outside  from  the 
brain  cells,  who  must  first  get  it  through  the  eye.  If  you 
injure  his  eye  or  the  nerve  leading  to  the  eye,  he  is  not 
able  to  change  his  color.  This  invention  of  changing  his 
color  at  will  so  as  to  be  able  to  escape  enemies  or  get 
closer  to  its  victim  is  certainly  wonderful.  How  long  the 
cells  struggled  with  the  elements  and  enemies  before  they 
discovered  and  perfected  these  inventions  to  aid  them  in 
the  battle  of  life*  we  can  only  guess ;  but  from  the  time  it 
first  discovered  the  advantages  of  working  together  in  a 
social  community  until  it  perfected  the  eye,  next  the  ink 
scheme  and  the  power  to  change  color,  it  must  have  been 
ages.  The  eye  must  have  been  perfected  first,  or  else  it 
could  not  know  the  effect  of  roiling  the  water  with  ink, 
or  of  changing  its  color  to  correspond  to  surroundings. 

We  might  consider  now  this  wonderful  structure 
known  as  the  torpedo  ray,  or  sting  ray,  as  it  is  sometimes 
called.  This  is  a  fish  that  kills  its  victims  with  an  elec- 
tric shock.  Here  is  a  colony  of  cells  that  have  built  a 


THE   LIVING   STRUCTURES 


123 


habitation  with  which  to  move  through  the  water  like  a 
fish  and  have  also  built  up  in  it  electric  storage  batteries, 


Fig.  18. —  A  Torpedo-Ray  with  the  electric  organs  dissected  out.  On  the  right 
the  surface  only  of  the  electric  organ  (oe)  is  shown.  Oh  the  left  the  nerves 
passing  to  the  organ  are  dissected  out.  The  roof  of  the  skull  is  removed  to 
bring  the  brain  into  view.  br.  branchiae  /,  spiracle;  o,  eyes;  tr,  trigeminal;  tr', 
its  electric  branch;  v.  vagus;  I,  fore-brain;  II,  mid-brain;  III,  cerebellum;  IV, 
electric  lobe. 

in  which  it  is  able  to  collect  and  keep  enough  of  elec- 
tricity to  give  a  powerful  electric  shock  to  its  prey  or 
enemies.  Think  of  all  the  experimenting  that  must  have 


124 


CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 


been  carried  on,  until  they  perfected  a  machine  with 
which  to  gather  electricity  from  the  surroundings  and 
keep  it  stored  in  batteries  ready  for  use.  It  could  not 
have  been  of  any  advantage  or  use  until  they  had  it  per- 
fected and  all  the  machinery  working.  Until  that  time 
they  must  have  had  a  committee  of  cells  continually 
working  on  the  idea.  They  could  not  have  commenced 
experimenting  until  they  had  previously  discovered  the 
effect  of  the  electric  shock  and  could  see  the  idea  of  using 
and  developing  it  into  a  weapon  for  offensive  and  defens- 
ive purposes. 


Xffr 


V 


fictj 


FIG.  19.— Ostracion  (Coffer-fish),  br.  ap.  branchial  aperture;  d.  f.  dorsal  fin; 
pet.  f.  pectoral  fin;  v.  /.  ventral  fin. 

Then  we  have  the  coffer  fish.  This  individual  is  a  per- 
fect box  made  of  some  horn  like  material  in  nearly  the 
shape  of  a  fish.  The  box  has  an  opening  for  just  the  nec- 
essary steering  and  propelling  apparatus  and  the  eyes 
and  mouth.  It  is  protected  with  a  color  conforming  to 
its  surroundings  but  it  cannot  change  its  color.  It  is  a 
wonderful  submarine  boat,  well  protected  with  armor 
and  so  constructed  that  a  larger  fish  will  not  eat  it  unless 


THE   LIVING  STRUCTURES  125 

very  hungry,  as  its  spikes  make  it  a  very  disagreeable 
morsel  to  swallow.  The  strong  covering  and  protective 
color  give  it  such  advantages  that  it  has  been  able  to  hold 
its  own  with  others  in  the  struggle  for  existence  in  the 
past,  and  is  with  us  today  and  not  numbered  among  the 
extinct  species. 

Another  most  wonderful  individual  is  known  as  the 
Stomiasboa  or  lantern  fish.  This  fish  is  black  with  phos- 
phorescent shining  light  in  front,  and  two  rows  of  bull's 


FIG.    20 — Stomias    boa   or    Lantern    Fish.      The    white    dots    are    the    luminous 
organs. 

eye  lanterns  the  whole  length  of  the  underside  of  his  body. 
These  spots  all  shine  like  little  electric  lights  and  the 
black  form  of  the  fish  cannot  be  seen  in  the  night,  but 
only  his  spots,  which  also  light  up  his  surroundings,  so 
that  he  can  see  his  victims  with  his  extraordinarily  de- 
veloped eyes  adapted  to  see  in  the  dark.  He  is  covered 
with  a  powerful  scale,  adapted  to  resist  the  pressure  of 
the  water  two  miles  deep  in  the  ocean,  where  he  stays  in 
the  day  time  and  wh'ere  his  enemies,  the  larger  fish,  can 
not  follow  him.  Think  of  the  wonderful  skill  exhibited 
in  the  construction  of  this  individual, — his  powerful  eyes 
and  mouth,  with  his  powerful  search  light  at  the  end  of 


126     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

his  nose  enabling  him  to  see  in  the  dark.  These  things  are 
all  necessary  to  an  existence  two  miles  down  in  the  water. 
This  perfect  arrangement  of  everything  to  meet  condi- 
tions, exhibited  in  this  individual,  must  have  also  re- 
quired ages  of  experimenting  by  the  best  intellects.  The 
Albatross  Expedition  describes  him  as  follows : 

"Among  the  strangest  of  these  ascending  night  feeders 
are  the  lantern  fish,  remarkable  for  this,  that  their  bodies 
are  dotted  over  with  electric  lights ;  certain  round  phos- 
phorescent spots  arranged  in  rows  along  the  sides,  that 
glow  brilliantly  just  as  fire  flies  glow,  especially  a  large 
spot  on  the  end  of  their  noses  that  shines  like  a  search 
light.  So  these  queer  fish  move  through  the  water, 
ascending  and  descending — small  submarines  all  ablaze. 
There  may  be  a  double  usefulness  in  these  phosphorescent 
lights  which  flare  up  suddenly  against  a  deep  sea  enemy 
and  frighten  him  away,  or  which  lure  the  prey  at  higher 
levels,  as  a  candle  lures  the  moth." 

It  must  be  conceded  that  to  be  able  to  build  and  main- 
tain a  submarine  like  this  we  call  the  lantern  fish,  which 
can  light  up  its  surroundings  and  adjust  the  structure  to 
'resist  the  pressure  of  the  water  at  different  depths  up  to 
two  miles,  is  a  task  requiring  the  best  engineering  and 
keenest  intellect.  Think  of  the  details  to  be  looked  after 
to  keep  it  adjusted  to  the  ever  changing  environment,  to 
keep  all  the  lights  going,  to  gather  the  material  and  manu- 
facture the  light. 

Fig.  21,  the  Lure  Fish,  is  another  illustration  of  a  fish 
that  tempts  its  prey  by  means  of  a  phosphorescent  light. 
He  has  a  bait  that  shines,  attached  td  the  other  end  of  the 
string  which  he  lets  out  like  a  fishline  to  attract  curious 
individuals.  The  string  to  which  his  bait  is  attached  is 
such  that  he  can  let  it  out  and  pull  it  in  at  will.  This  you 


THE   LIVING   STRUCTURES 


127 


will  see   is  a  moving  habitation  something  like  a  sub- 
marine with  a  fishing  apparatus  attached. 

We  never  stop  to  consider  the  position  occupied  by  the 
individual  cells  that  build  animals  and  plants,  who  must 
conceive  and  execute  ideas.  While  this  submarine  like 


FIG.  21. — Lure  Fish. 

individual  was  lying  in  wait  for  his  victim,  it  must  have 
occurred  to  the  cells  occupying  and  in  charge  of  it  that 
animals  are  attracted  by  a  light.  That  if  they  could  fix 
up  a  shining  bait,  which  they  could  let  out  a  short  dis- 
tance to  attract  attention,  they  could  hide  their  sub- 
marine and  decoy  their  victims  within  reach  of  their  grap- 


128    CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

pling  apparatus,  called  the  mouth,  arranged  in  front  of 
the  individual.  From  this  idea  conceived,  they  would  pro- 
ceed to  build  this  fishing  apparatus.  This  is  what  the  Al- 
bastross  Expedition  has  to  say  about  him : 

"The  potency  of  light  in  attracting  wanderers  of  the 
deep  is  seen  in  the  equipment  of  the  Lure  fish,  a  gro- 
tesque creature  with  a  huge  mouth  that  hides  its  black 
body  in  the  mud,  and  waits  patiently  for  victims,  dan- 
gling before  them  a  phosphoresent  bulb  that  shines  at 
the  end  of  a  long  filament — a  self-grown  and  self-baiting 
fishing  rod,  curving  forward  from  the  animal's  head  and 
hanging  temptingly  before  its  hungry  jaws,  ready  to 
snap  open  at  the  approach  of  a  curious  visitor.  These 
Lure  fish  are  found  at  the  depth  of  three  miles  or  more." 

Mr.  Muffit  gives  the  following  interesting  description 
of  a  few  of  the  enormous  number  of  different  kinds  of 
individuals  found  in  the  ocean : 

"Another  danger  lurking  in  the  tow  nets  is  the  possible 
presence  of  a  strange  crustacean,  related  to  a  crab,  an 
uncanny  creature  about  three  inches  long  that  is  invis- 
ible, literally  invisible,  owing  to  the  fact  that  its  head 
and  body,  its  arms,  legs  and  claws  are  quite  transparent. 
The  presence  of  this  animal  in  the  receiving  pan  is  usu- 
ally indicated  by  a  disturbance  among  its  visible  neigh- 
bors, the  shrimps  and  fishes,  and  when  it  is  lifted  out  with 
a  pair  of  tongs  it  appears  like  the  glass  model  of  a  crab 
with  slowly  moving  glass  legs  and  glass  claws.  When 
killed  this  crab  loses  its  transparency  and  reveals  itself 
in  a  dull  white  coloring  like  the  white  of  an  egg.  The 
'Albatross'  encountered  many  of  these  invisible  wrigglers 
while  fishing  in  Japanese  waters.  It  is  well  known  that 
very  young  fish  and  tiny  eels  are  quite  transparent  except 
for  two  black  dots,  which  mark  their  eyes. 

"Each  haul  of  nets  brings  up  some  deep  sea  wonder. 


THE   LIVING   STRUCTURES  129 

It  may  be  the  hideous  viper  fish  with  teeth  so  long  that 
they  fold  outside  of  his  mouth  like  the  tusks  of  a  wild 
boar,  or  the  snipe  eel  with  its  bill  like  its  name  sake  and 
a  body  like  a  length  of  whip  cord  or  the  queer  pelican 
fish  that  will  swallow  a  fish  much  larger  than  itself  and 
somehow  digest  it,  or  a  dead  ribbon  fish  with  its  almost 
transparent  body,  20  feet  long  and  a  foot  wide  and  half 
an  inch  thick,  or  a  great  red  jelly  fish  full  of  poisonous 
darts  coiled  up  in  its  body,  and  ready  to  shoot  out  their 
venom  against  any  touch.  In  New  England  and  arctic 
waters  some  of  these  jelly  fish  grow  to  enormous  size , 
their  bodies  measuring  six  or  eight  feet  across  and  their 
pendent  streamers  reaching  down  seventy  feet  or  more. 
I  may  mention  also  the  giant  squid  or  cuttle  fish  thirty 
feet  long,  a  whitish  colored  beast  that  is  always  found 
dead,  the  same  being  true  of  the  giant  octopus  with  its 
reach  of  seventy  feet  from  tip  to  tip  of  its  huge  arms. 
"The  jewel  beauties,  swimming  about  rather  tamely 
would  be  helpless  against  the  ravenous  pursuers  were  it 
not  that  they  live  in  shallow  tide  pools  and  near  coral 
reefs  where  these  pursuers  dare  not  follow  them.  Why 
not?  Because  coral  reefs  are  full  of  stings  of  the 
live  coral  creatures,  stings  that  hurt  a  man's  hand  if  he 
touches  them  and  might  destroy  the  eyes  of  any  big  fish 
that  ventured  among  them.  And  tide  pools  abound  in 
sea  urchins  with  sharp  barbed  spines,  hundreds  of  them 
that  break  off  inside  the  wound."  The  fierce  struggle  for 
existence  that  has  been  going  on  in  the  sea  for  ages  has 
produced  these  wonderful  individuals,  in  the  same  man- 
ner that  the  struggle  for  place  and  power  that  is  now 
going  on  in  the  war  between  the  English  and  the  Ger- 
mans is  causing  inventions  of  many  kinds,  and 
weapons  and  engines  of  destruction  of  different  char- 
acters. We  must  keep  in  mind  that  the  builders  of  all 


130     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 

these  individuals  are  the  cells,  just  as  the  builders  of  all 
the  different  structures  now  used  in  war  in  their  struggle 
for  national  existence,  are  the  human  individuals.  The 
structures  produced  by  cells  or  cell  communities  are  all 
on  the  plan  intended  to  resist  attacks  by  hungry  enemies ; 
take,  for  instance,  the  common  turtle  with  its  armor  plate 
of  bone,  which  in  every  way  resembles  a  fortification. 
Millions  of  living  beings  working  together  live  inside  of 
this  moving  fort  we  call  the  turtle. 


FIG.  22. — Skeleton  of  Turtle.     Glyptodon  clavipes. 

What  difference  can  there  be  in  the  intelligence  or  skill 
required  in  building  a  submarine  by  human  beings  and 
the  building  of  a  fish  by  the  cells?  In  every  case  there 
must  be  a  preconceived  plan,  a  purpose  to  capture  and 
escape,  to  do  this  or  that.  They  are  made  with  an  end 
and  purpose  in  view.  The  time  will  evidently  come  when 
every  important  battle  will  be  fought  either  in  the  air  or 
under  water.  The  submarine  now  must  have  eyes  in 
order  to  see  where  to  go  and  so  as  not  to  run  into  nets. 
Inside  are  the  individuals  who  run  it  and  take  care  of  it 


THE   LIVING   STRUCTURES 


131 


precisely  in  the  same  manner  that  the  cells  run  and  take 
care  of  the  individual  they  inhabit,  be  it  animal  or  plant. 
Think  of  that  invisible  crab !  How  are  the  cells  able  to 
build  themselves  into  a  structure  so  as  to  be  transparent? 
Those  are  secrets  for  us  to  solve. 


FIG.  23. — A  submarine   made   by   the   cell. 

I  must  not  forget  the  African  fish  that  constructs  a 
moisture  proof  house  in  the  mud  where  it  sleeps  for  six 
months,  during  the  dry  season,  living  on  its  own  fat 
gathered  during  its  activity.  It  is  described  as  follows : 
"A  remarkable  fish  known  as  protopterus  annectens  is 
found  throughout  the  whole  of  tropical  Africa,  but  is 
most  common  near  the  West  coast,  where  it  sometimes 
attains  a  length  of  six  feet.  During  the  dry  season,  when 
many  of  the  ponds  dry  up,  the  fish  descends  some  dis- 
tance into  the  mud  and  forms  a  rounded  hollow  for  a 


132          CELL  -INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 


THE   LIVING   STRUCTURES  133 

nest,  which  is  lined  by  a  capsule  of  hardened  mucus 
secreted  by  the  glands  of  the  skin.  It  hibernates  thus 
for  nearly  six  months,  drawing  its  sustenance  from  the 
fat  secreted  when  it  is  active."  This  fish  is  wonderful 
in  that  it  is  able  to  make  a  nest  in  the  mud,  where  it  will 
not  lose  any  of  its  moisture,  by  lining  its  room  with  a 
secretion  which  will  prevent  the  escape  of  the  moisture. 
During  its  activity  the  cells  in  charge  of  this  individual 
gather  and  store  away  enough  food  in  the  way  of  fat  so 
they  can  live  and  enjoy  life  until  the  rainy  season  comes 
again  and  provides  the  water  to  float  them.  The  ability 
of  animals  to  store  away  food  to  be  used  at  a  future  time 
is  a  common  habit,  that  is,  with  all  animals  that  sleep  in 
the  winter,  like  badgers,  bears,  etc.  The  cells  in  the  body 
gather  and  store  food  for  the  purpose  of  tiding  over  a 
time  when  food  will  be  scarce  and  hard  to  get.  What 
possible  difference  can  there  be  in  the  intelligent  purpose 
evidenced  by  the  cell  in  providing  for  the  future,  and  the 
animal  and  man  doing  the  same  thing?  There  can  cer-. 
tainly  be  none  whatever. 

Take  again  for  instance  protective  coloration.  The 
military  experts  are  now  adopting  and  taking  advantage 
of  the  tricks  of  the  cell.  The  zebra  in  its  bright  stripes  is 
almost  invisible  in  the  jungles  of  his  natural  habitat. 
When  the  cells  building  the  zebra  gave  him  the  stripes 
which  make  him  so  conspicuous  in  the  circus  they  knew 
what  they  were  doing.  The  experience  of  hunters  all 
testify  to  the  fact  that  the  tall  grasses  and  trees  in  the 
jungle  where  he  lives  make  the  zebra  almost  invisible. 
In  reference  to  the  cause  of  the  color  of  animals,  plants 
and  fish  we  have  now  fully  demonstrated  that  it  is  caused 
by  the  action  of  cells  occupying  the  individuals,  especially 
if  they  have  eyes  with  which  to  take  a  picture  of  the  out- 
side surroundings,  and  transfer  this  to  the  skin  cells,  who 


134 


CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 


are  in  charge  of  the  color  business.  The  following-  is  a 
very  interesting  article  on  this  matter,  altho  it  has  been 
demonstrated  several  times  before,  and  in  one  case  the 


FIG.  25.— Zebra. 


fish  was  able  to  produce  a  checker-board  on  his  back 
when  the  bottom  of  his  aquarium  was  painted  in  that 
way.  S.  O.  Mast  of  Johns  Hopkins  University  has  pub- 
lished in  the  "Proceedings"  of  the  National  Academy  of 


THE   LIVING   STRUCTURES  135 

Sciences,  April,  1915,  some  results  of  observation  and 
experiments  made  at  the  U.  S.  Biological  Station  at  Beau- 
fort, N.  C.  The  work  is  to  be  published  in  full  in  the  bul- 
letin of  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Fisheries.  He  says : 

"Nearly  all  fishes  simulate  their  environment  to  some 
extent  and  some  flounders  do  so  with  remarkable  accur- 
acy and  rapidity.  It  was  found  that  flounders  in  glass 
dishes  became  nearly  white  on  a  white  ground  and  nearly 
black  on  a  black  ground.  They  also  assumed  approx- 
imately the  colors  of  all  grounds,  except  red.  Fine  and 
coarse  patterns  in  the  ground  produced  correspondingly 
fine  and  coarse  patterns  in  the  skin,  but  there  was  no 
actual  reproduction  of  patterns.  Five  days'  sojourn  in  a 
black  pan  was  required  to  produce  a  maximum  blackness 
in  a  flounder  that  had  been  kept  two  weeks  in  a  white 
pan,  but  the  change  from  white  to  black  was  effected  in 
two  minutes  in  the  same  flounder  after  it  had  been  trans- 
ferred from  one  pan  to  the  other.  The  change  from  black 
to  white  always  required  an  hour  or  more.  Color  changes 
are  comparatively  slow.  Yellow  usually  predominates  in 
the  environment  and  is  assumed  more  rapidly  than  green 
or  blue. 

"The  skin  of  flounders  contains  black  and  yellow  cells 
called  chromatophores  and  opaque  white  cells  called 
iridoeytes.  The  changes  in  color  and  pattern  are  pro- 
duced by  changes  in  the  arrangement  of  the  colored  cells 
and  in  the  extent  to  which  they  are  hidden  by  the  white 
cells.  These  changes  are  regulated  by  ocular  impressions. 
Flounders  become  uniformly  white  when  the  head-end 
is  placed  on  white  and  the  tail-end  on  black.  They  be- 
come black  when  the  head  is  on  black  and  the  tail  on 
white  and  they  become  gray  when  one  eye  is  on  white 
and  the  other  on  black.  Exposure  of  one  eye  to  a  fine 
and  the  other  to  a  coarse  pattern  produces  a  combination 


136     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

of  a  fine  and  coarse  pattern  in  the  skin.  The  influence  of 
each  eye  extends  over  the  entire  body.  The  skin  becomes 
yellow  when  a  yellow  card  is  placed  very  near  the  head. 
A  flounder  deprived  of  one  eye  simulates  the  background 
quite  normally,  but  there  is  no  simulation  whatever  when 
both  eyes  are  removed.  Flounders  fail  to  simulate  the 
ground  in  very  strong  illumination  from  above  and  they 
become  white  on  all  ground  when  their  eyes  receive  no 
light  directly  from  above.  Adaptation  to  the  ground  is 
not  effected  by  covering  the  skin  with  sand,  so  that  the 
fish  cannot  see  it.  Vision  in  fishes  is  very  like  human 
vision  in  regard  to  shade  and  color,  but  less  acute  in 
regard  to  size.  Flounders  distinguish  between  dots  of 
two  millimeters  and  three  millimeters  and  recognize  dots 
of  one  millimeter,  but  not  those  of  five-tenths  millimeters. 
By  means  of  a  rotating  background  of  black  and  white 
sectors  the  acuteness  of  vision  in  regard  to  motion  was 
found  equal  to  that  of  man.  Flounders  adapted  to  a  given 
color  seek  ground  of  that  color,  and  color  in  the  skin  is 
produced  only  by  exposure  to  the  same  color." 

It  is  a  singular  thing  that  scientists  and  the  human 
mind  by  reason  of  vanity  or  for  some  reason  will  not 
conceive,  or  are  not  able  to  see  that  the  minds  that  direct 
these  very  difficult  acts  of  effecting  these  protective  colors 
in  fishes  and  animals  are  the  cell  minds  and  cell  intellects. 
They  build  the  fish  and  take  care  of  it  for  their  own  selfish 
purpose.  They  alone  are  responsible  for  its  success. 
These  are  facts  we  do  not  have  to  guess  at.  We  do  not 
have  to  spin  any  theory  about  it  because  we  can  see  it. 
In  a  daily  paper  I  read  the  following  in  regard  to  the  acts 
of  man  and  animals  in  reference  to  this  same  trait  of 
taking  advantage  of  protective  color:  "If  man  has  learned 
clever  tricks  for  deceiving  his  enemy  he  has  been  taught 
bynature.  In  all  nature  there  is  scarcely  an  animal  which 


THE   LIVING   STRUCTURES  137 

is  not  characteristically  marked  for  deceiving  his  enemy. 
Many  butterflies  are  veined  and  marked  like  leaves  and 
flowers  with  such  splendid  accuracy  that  when  they  are 
hidden  in  the  petals  of  the  flowers  or  hovering  on  the 
foliage  they  are  not  to  be  distinguished.  Likewise  the 
walking  stick  insect  when  it  crouches  among  the  green 
leaves  cannot  be  differentiated  from  the  twigs.  Bird 
hunters  are  aware  that  it  is  difficult  to  discover  grouse 
and  partridges  because  of  their  bark-like  coloring. 

Nature  is  so  cautious  in  trying  to  protect  many  of  her 
children  against  their  enemies  that  she  often  changes 
their  colors  with  the  seasons.  Most  of  the  arctic  animals 
change  from  brown  to  white  as  the  winter  approaches. 
This  is  no  less  true  of  many  kinds  of  fish.  Some  have  the 
facilities  for  harmonizing  colors  with  the  particular  char- 
acter of  bottom  upon  which  they  happen  to  be  resting  at 
the  moment. 

The  lesson  of  nature  has  not  been  lost  upon  man.  From 
time  immemorial  bird  hunters  have  clad  themselves  in 
green,  that  the  animals  would  not  distinguish  them  from 
the  foliage  and  the  surroundings.  The  American  soldiers 
were  the  first  to  adopt  the  khaki  uniform,  because  it  is 
the  color  of  the  earth.  European  armies  have  now  acted 
on  our  suggestion,  although  it  has  taken  a  long  time  to 
teach  the  French  soldiers  that  the  bright  red  on  their 
uniforms  is  a  menace,  not  an  aid. 

Just  at  present  news  dispatches  tell  of  the  increased 
number  of  changes  in  the  army  uniforms  in  an  effort  to 
make  the  soldier  invisible — or  as  nearly  so  as  the  ingenu- 
ity of  man  can  make  them.  Russian  artillerymen  and 
scouts  have  been  clad  in  long  white  cloaks  and  caps  while 
fighting  in  the  snow  fields  of  the  Carpathians. 

It  is  said  that  the  adoption  of  nature's  methods  of  pro- 
tecting animals  has  been  so  successful  that  it  is  impos- 


138     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

sible  to  distinguish  moving  men  from  waving  shrubbery 
when  but  a  few  yards  distant. 

Practically  every  army  involved — and  they  include 
many  nationalities  and  many  picturesque  styles  of  uni- 
form practically  unheard  of  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic — 
is  adopting  this  method  of  uniforming,  to  some  extent. 

You  see  that  these  acts  of  man  and  animals,  which  we 
consider  very  intelligent  when  performed  by  man  as  an 
individual,  we  refuse  to  consider  intelligent  when  per- 
formed by  animals  or  more  correctly  speaking  by  the  ani- 
mals we  call  cells,  who  build  the  animals  and  perform 
the  work. 

There  is  a  moth  called,  "The  Death's  Head  Moth," 
because  it  has  the  resemblance  of  a  skull  and  cross-bones 
on  its  head,  which  is  merely  an  arrangement  as  a  pro- 
tective color.  A  scientific  magazine  makes  the  following 
remarks  about  it :  "The  Death's  Head  Moth  not  only 
has  a  mouth  with  which  to  eat,  but  it  can  make  a  noise 
which  resembles  that  of  a  mouse.  It  is  the  only  moth 
which  makes  any  sound.  It  is  this  peculiar  sound  which 
it  makes,  as  well  as  its  resemblance  to  a  skull  and  cross- 
bones  marked  upon  its  head,  which  makes  superstitious 
people  afraid  of  it,  for  they  believe  that  it  brings  them 
trouble.  The  moth  though  forbidding  in  appearance  is 
entirely  harmless,  of  course." 

Now  who  are  the  most  intelligent  beings,  the  brain 
cells  directing  the  action  of  the  man  afraid  of  this  moth, 
or  the  cells  that  build  and  direct  the  moth?  Which  of 
the  two  are  the  most  profound  thinkers?  It  would  seem 
that  the  cells  in  the  moth  discovered  the  superstitious 
nature  of  man  and  adopted  this  style  of  protective  color 
to  frighten  him. 

In  reference  to  the  intelligence  of  insect-building  cells 
of  all  kinds  many  of  which  are  also  able  to  change  their 


THE    LIVING   STRUCTURES  139 

color  at  will,  space  will  not  permit  going  into  details.  In 
their  place  in  life,  the  struggle  for  existence  is  fierce  and 
competition  very  strong,  and  they  have  also  discovered 
nearly  every  trick  and  method  used  by  fishes  and  animals. 

The  following  article  by  A.  L.  Hodges  states  the  situ- 
ation in  a  general  way:  "Few  people  are  familiar  with 
the  fact  that  the  diving  bell  was  invented  by  a  spider. 
Such  however  is  the  case  and  if  it  was  not  actually  in- 
vented by  him  it  was  certainly  used  by  him  long  before 
our  hydraulic  engineers  made  one  for  the  same  purpose. 
The  diving  bell  is,  as  is  well  known,  a  cup-shaped  body 
with  open  end  down  which  is  let  into  the  water.  The  air 
is  caught  in  the  bell  and  keeps  the  water  from  rising 
beyond  a  certain  level  at  any  specified  depth  and  of  course 
allowing  anyone  inside  to  breathe  and  act  as  if  he  were 
on  the  ground.  The  new  improvement  of  the  diving  bell, 
known  as  the  Caisson,  is  a  huge  pipe  which  has  compart- 
ments into  which  the  air  is  pumped  from  above.  The 
spider's  bell  is  filled  more  in  this  manner  than  in  the 
other. 

"The  name  given  to  these  little  spiders  is  very  appro- 
priate— Naiads  of  the  family  of  Arachnida.  The  Naiad 
will  build  a  little  house  of  water-proof  silk,  held  fast  by 
strands  fixed  to  neighboring  blades  of  grass  and  stones, 
several  feet  under  water.  He  completes  the  entire  struc- 
ture before  filling  it  with  air — as  if  he  knew  that  the  air 
would  tend  to  make  it  rise  to  the  top  and  thus  hinder  the 
attaching  of  the  anchors. 

"But  the  method  of  getting  air  into  their  houses  is  per- 
haps the  most  peculiar  and  interesting  of  all  instinctive 
acts  of  animals.  Their  abdomens  are  so  made  that  a 
bubble  of  air  can  be  caught  underneath  them.  This  the 
Naiad  does,  and  swims  to  his  house  with  it  and  turns  it 
loose  in  the  airy  structure.  The  process  is  repeated  sev- 


140     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

eral  times  until  the  little  house  is  full  of  air.  Of  course 
the  open  end  of  this  house  is  down  and  this  has  to  act  also 
as  the  entrance  to  it.  In  the  little  water-house  the  spider 
spends  the  winter  and  rears  its  young  ones.  The  house 
also  acts  as  a  lair  from  which  the  spider  can  jump  on  un- 
suspecting prey. 

"Another  peculiar  thing  about  the  Naiads  is  that  they 
never  get  wet.  They  have  thousands  of  small  hairs  on 
their  bodies  which  hold  and  keep  the  air  from  being 
washed  off  when  they  enter  water  and  so  the  air  sticks 
and  water  cannot  approach. 

Scientists  are  acquainted  with  many  other  insect  engi- 
neers, but  with  none  that  approach  Naiads  in  intelligence 
and  skill.  The  Water  Beetle  is  probably  the  only  other 
one  in  their  class.  It  builds  a  water-proof  nest  under 
water,  but  does  not  live  in  it.  It  merely  lays  its  eggs  in 
the  nest,  seals  it  up  and  leaves. 

The  Mason  Bee  is  as  his  name  implies  a  builder  of 
structures  of  stone  and  mortar.  The  nest  is  attached  to 
almost  any  solid  structure  and  actually  does  consist  of 
small  stone,  cemented  together  with  mortar.  The  house 
consists  of  many  cells  of  oval  shape,  and  into  each  an 
egg  is  laid.  The  cell  is  lined  with  silken  web  by  the 
mother  who  gets  out  of  it  by  holding  its  top.  Before 
leaving,  however,  she  hermetically  seals  up  the  cell  and 
leaves  the  youngster  to  its  fate. 

"However,  such  are  the  arrangements  of  nature.  As 
soon  as  he  gets  to  feeling  his  oats  and  consumes  the  food 
left  him  by  the  mother  he  finds  himself  supplied  with 
tools  hard  and  sharp  enough  to  cut  through  the  walls  to 
freedom. 

"A  member  of  this  family  found  in  England  makes  his 
own  bricks,  selecting  brown  clay  for  the  purpose,  which 
he  mixes  with  saliva,  rolls  into  small  balls  which  soon 


THE  LIVING   STRUCTURES  141 

become  hard  and  then  cements  them  together.  These 
pellets  are  as  large  as  small  peas  and  one  bee  has  been 
known  to  prepare  as  many  as  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  a 
single  day." 

I  have  watched  the  action  of  bees,  beetles,  spiders  and 
ants  and  other  insects  and  must  say  that  their  actions 
show  intelligence  of  a  very  high  degree  and  will  refer  to 
many  of  their  acts  later  on,  which  are  simply  wonderful. 
You  might  say  if  the  insect  building  cells  are  so  intelli- 
gent, why  do  they  not  build  larger  and  stronger  struc- 
tures like  ourselves  or  other  animals.  Upon  that  point 
we  need  but  consider  all  the  structures  produced  in  the 
past  ages,  like  the  Mastodon  and  thousands  of  others  that 
went  too  far  in  that  direction  and  got  the  structures  too 
large.  Their  skeletons  are  now  conclusive  evidence  to 
the  insects  and  ourselves  that  size  is  not  necessarily  a 
quality  that  spells  success.  The  size  must  be  considered 
in  the  light  of  permanent  and  perpetual  existence  on  this 
planet,  as  well  as  the  other  features.  I  quote  the  follow- 
ing from  the  Scientific  American,  which  is  very  signifi- 
cant :  "Rarely  is  it  safe  to  speak  of  anything  as  ultimate 
in  prehistoric  life,  but  there  is  little  doubt  that  the 
American  Museum  now  exhibits  a  skeleton  of  the  largest 
flesh-eating  animal  that  has  ever  lived.  This  is  Tyran- 
nosaurus,  the  tyrant  lizard,  a  dinosaur  that  lived  during 
the  close  of  the  Cretaceous  period.  It  was  one  of  the  very 
last  expressions  of  its  race  and,  judged  by  size  and  struc- 
ture, was  king  of  its  kind.  An  idea  of  its  immense  size 
can  be  formed  from  measurements  of  the  skeleton,  47 
feet  in  length,  and,  as  mounted,  18^2  feet  in  height.  When 
fully  erect  this  animal  would  have  reached  a  height  of  20 
feet. 

"Larger  herb-eating  dinosaurs  have  been  found  in 
America  and  East  Africa  in  older  rocks  of  Jurassic  or 


142     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 


FIG.  26. — Skeleton    of   Tyrannosaurus   Rex   No.    5027,   47    feet    long  and    18! 
feet   high. — SCIENTIFIC   AMERICAN. 


early  Cretaceous  age,  but  the  flesh-eaters  contemporan- 
eous with  them  were  a  third  smaller  than  the  present 
animal. 

"The  Tyrannosaurus  was  capable  of  destroying  any  of 


THE   LIVING  STRUCTURES  143 

the  contemporary  creatures  and  was  easily  king  of  the 
period  and  monarch  of  its  race." 

Now  if  it  is  true  that  the  cell  is  a  builder  of  all  living 
things,  both  plants  and  animals,  we  should  be  able  to 
find  the  same  intelligent  scheme  for  self-protection  and 
self-perpetuation  also  in  plants,  or  what  we  might  call 
their  stationary  habitations  or  structures ;  and  such  is  the 
case,  for  the  schemes  and  tricks  employed  by  plants  to 
serve  their  purpose  show  intelligence  of  a  high  order.  It 
is  impossible  in  this  short  chapter  to  go  into  the  details 
and  describe  the  innumerable  methods  used  by  plants  to 
fight  drought,  animals,  frost,  heat,  etc.,  but  the  following 
article  from  the  Literary  Digest  is  a  very  good  general 
description  of  some  of  the  methods.  The  article  intends 
to  describe  some  of  the  unnecessary  cruelties  practised 
by  some  plants  on  animals  and  insects  in  order  to  further 
their  own  selfish  purpose.  It  says :  "Take  the  case  of  the 
fruit  of  the  Martynia,  a  South  American  plant,  which  is 
armed  with  terrific  hooks,  sometimes  as  much  as  five  or 
six  inches  long,  so  curved  that  they  seize  hold  of  passing 
animals  and  plunge  deeply  into  the  flesh.  It  is  said  that 
the  Bullocks  are  often  thus  driven  half  frantic  and  suffer, 
dreadful  wounds.  Of  course  the  final  result  is  that  the 
seeds  receive  a  very  wide  distribution,  but  a  large  amount 

of  needless  suffering  seems  to  be  involved 

Even  more  astonishing  is  the  case  of  the  Grapple  Fruit 
of  South  Africa  (Harpagophytun).  This  species  is  of  a 
low  growing  habit  and  bears  fruits  which  are  freely 
adorned  with  most  formidable  barbed  appendages.  The 
fruit  secures  its  dispersion  in  the  following  manner :  in  its 
position  out  of  the  ground  it  is  liable  to  be  trodden  on  by 
sheep,  deer,  etc. ;  at  once,  of  course  the  hooks  catch  hold 
and  these  penetrate  into  the  tender  places  of  the  foot 
between  the  horny  portions.  The  unhappy  animals  limp 


144 


CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 


*' 3 


t*tt&n 

II  IK1!" 


i 

- 


THE   LIVING  STRUCTURES  145 

about  and  it  may  be  weeks  before  the  dreadful  burden 
can  be  thrown  aside.  During  this  time  the  most  dreadful 
wounds  are  produced  and  as  well  the  creature  is  very 
likely  to  fall  a  victim  to  some  beast  of  prey.  In  this  con- 
nection a  very  singular  happening  sometimes  occurs 
which  is  well  authenticated ;  viz.,  a  lion  captures  an  ante- 
lope with  a  grapple  root  on  his  foot;  when  making  his 
meal,  the  lion  gets  the  hook  capsule  in  his  jaws  and  the 
barbs  speedily  become  entangled  in  the  mouth  parts. 
The  more  the  lion  fidgets  the  less  likely  is  he  to  get  rid 
of  the  encumbrance,  but  owing  to  the  pain  and  annoyance 
the  beast  cannot  leave  his  mouth  alone,  so  the  miserable 
business  goes  on.  Days  pass  and  the  lion  is  quite  unable 
to  eat  and  as  a  consequence  becomes  weak  and  helpless. 
So  the  king  of  beasts  dies,  killed  by  the  fruit  of  the  Grap- 
ple plant. 

It  is  of  course  recognized  that  plants  must  take  certain 
means  to  protect  themselves  against  the  attacks  of 
animals.  Some  of  the  measures  which  have  been  adopted 
are  positively  vindictive.  Take  the  case  of  the  common 
stinging  nettle.  Here  the  plant  is  covered  with  minute 
hairs  which  penetrate  the  skin  and  at  the  same  time  in- 
ject an  irritant  poison,  the  effect  of  which  lasts  f©r  hours. 
Some  of  the  tropical  nettles  are  much  more  terrible.  The 
following  is  an  account  taken  from  the  Himalyan  Journal 
of  Sir  Joseph  Hooker  in  which  an  Indian  Nettle  is  de- 
scribed:  "This  plant,  called  'Mealum-Ma,'  attains  fif- 
teen feet  in  height.  It  has  broad  glossy  leaves  and  though 
apparently  without  stings  is  held  in  such  a  great  dread 
that  I  had  difficulty  in  getting  men  to  help  cut  it  down. 
No  wonder  that  the  plant  is  avoided,  for  if  a  person  is 
stung  by  the  microscopic  hairs  the  results  are  appalling. 
The  pain  is  at  first  comparatively  slight,  but  after  a  few 
hours  the  effected  part  feels  as  if  it  were  being  rubbed 


146     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

with  a  hot  iron.  Later  the  most  distressing  symptoms 
arise  in  other  parts  of  the  body,  which  not  uncommonly 
involve  the  contraction  of  the  muscles  of  the  jaw  and 
other  indications  which  are  similar  to  those  to  be  ob- 
served in  the  case  of  lock-jaw.  In  one  instance  it  was 
nine  days  before  the  unhappy  individual  was  free  from 
pain  and  discomfort.  In  such  a  case  as  this  it  would 
seem  that  a  huge  amount  of  unnecessary  suffering  is  in- 
volved. It  is  possible  to  protect  a  plant  from  attack  as 
can  be  seen  in  many  cases  without  adopting  such  brutal 
methods. 

"Self-defense  has  been  carried  to  a  fine  art  among 
desert  plants,  especially  the  cacti.  An  array  of  spines  is 
of  course  an  admirable  means  of  preventing  an  attack, 
but  many  species  have  carried  the  matter  a  good  deal 
further.  In  some  kinds  of  prickly  pear  they  have  minute 
barbs  on  their  spines  and  if  any  animal  should  even  brush 
up  against  them  the  spines  hold  on  firmly  when  driven 
into  the  flesh.  They  are  loosely  attached  so.  that  the  un- 
happy creature  takes  away  a  large  number  of  spines 
when  he  withdraws.  These  remain  to  produce  festering 
wounds.  Another  cactus  which  adds  singular  hooked 
spines  to  the  straight  variety  is  called  "The  Wait-a-bit 
Plant."  The  hook  holds  the  clothes  Or  flesh  and  mean- 
while the  sharp  straight  spines  do  deadly  work. 

"It  is  of  course  well  known  that  a  certain  number  of 
species  find  it  needful  to  capture  insects  in  order  that 
thev  may  supplement  their  supply  of  nitrogenous  food. 
In  most  of  the  schemes  the  unhappy  victim  is  doomed  to 
undergo  the  torture  of  a  lingering  death.  Very  rarely  is 
the  insect  killed  at  once.  First  of  all  let  us  consider  the 
case  of  the  Darlingtonia,  a  plant  which  usually  catches 
winged  insects.  The  flies  are  lured  by  honey  secretion 
to  enter  the  hooded  process  at  the  top  of  the  pitcher-like 


THE   LIVING   STRUCTURES  147 

leaf.  This  they  do  by  means  of  an  opening  on  the  under- 
side. The  whole  of  the  upper  portion  of  the  hood  is  cov- 
ered with  transparent  patches  like  so  many  windows. 
Now  when  the  fly  wishes  to  leave  he  naturally  flies  up- 
ward toward  the  light  which  streams  down  through  these 
windows.  The  real  opening  is  hidden  in  the  shade  of 
the  under  part  and  passes  unnoticed.  Thus  the  flies 
simply  beat  themselves  to  death  in  a  vain  endeavor  to 
escape  through  the  transparent  places.  This  proceeding 
may  extend  over  hours,  but  it  always  has  one  ending.  The 
fly  falls  exhausted  into  the  fluid  at  the  bottom  of  the 

pitcher  and  is  drowned Many 

flies  meet  with  peculiarly  brutal  death  in  connection  with 
the  Venus  fly-trap.  The  insect  is  captured  by  its  legs 
and  held  fast;  meanwhile  it  beats  its  life  away  in  vain 
endeavors  to  escape.  In  conclusion  Mr.  Bastin  says: 

"The  instances  given  above  are  only  a  few  out  of  a 
very  large  number  which  might  be  brought  forward  to 
show  that  in  many  ways  plants  are  guilty  of  great 
cruelty.  One  cannot  get  away  from  the  idea  that  most  of 
the  suffering  involved  appears  to  be  quite  unnecessary, 
for  there  are  plenty  of  instances  to  show  that  the  same 
ends  can  be  achieved  in  less  painful  ways." 

This  article  was  originally  written  by  Mr.  Bastin  in 
the  Scientific  American  to  show  some  of  the  unnecessary 
cruelties  practised  by  some  plants  on  animals  and  in- 
sects in  order  to  protect  themselves  or  to  spread  their 
young.  However,  we  have  no  cause  of  complaint  against 
the  plant  for  cruel  and  inhuman  treatment,  as  we  never 
stop  to  consider  the  pain  or  feelings  of  the  plants  to  fur- 
ther our  wishes,  so  why  should  the  plant  pay  any  atten- 
tion to  ours?  I  never  can  forget  my  astonishment  when  I 
first  met  the  drought  and  animal  resisting  structure  called 
the  "Spined  Cactus"  found  growing  on  the  Western 


148     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 

Plains  with  spines  so  arranged  that  it  would  be  impos- 
sible for  the  deer  or  buffalo  to  attack  and  eat  it  without 
suffering  terrible  torture.  Lack  of  space  will  prevent  a 
consideration  of  the  birds,  except  to  refer  to  them  in  a 
general  way. 

The  discovery  of  the  art  of  making  feathers  as  perfect 
as  they  are  today,  must  have  taken  ages.  Man  was  able 
to  perfect  a  flying  machine  in  a  very  short  time,  but  he 
had  the  experience  of  the  world  at  his  feet  to  teach  and 
help  him.  The  wonderful  skill  exhibited  by  young  birds 
in  being  able  to  fly  the  first  time  they  make  the  attempt 
will  be  explained  later.  However,  it  is  no  more  of  a  mys- 


FIG.  28.— Bird  descending.      (Made   by   cell.) 

tery  than  the  ability  of  the  aeroplane  to  fly  in  its  first  at- 
tempt. It  is  no  more  difficult  to  operate  a  machine  than 
to  build  it.  If  the  cells  understand  how  to  build  the  aerial 
structure  with  which  they  are  able  to  navigate  the  air  it 
seems  queer  that  they  should  not  also  understand  how  to 
operate  it.  That  question  will  be  more  fully  discussed 
under  the  chapter  on  cause  of  instinctive  action  of  all 
kinds,  which  so  far  has  seemed  to  be  a  mystery  to  man- 
kind. I  can  see  no  mystery  in  the  instinctive  acts  of  ani- 
mals or  plants.  The  builder  should  know,  and  does  know 
how  to  use  the  machinery  he  has  put  together.  The  living 
structures  which  are  made  by  living  beings,  the  cells,  are 
all  made  for  a  purpose.  For  example,  the  long  tongues  of 
woodpeckers  and  humming  birds  with  which  they  reach 
into  deep  crevices  and  holes,  the  web  between  the  toes  of 


THE   LIVING   STRUCTURES 


149 


the  swimming'  animals  and  birds,  and  the  long"  neck  of 
the  giraffe  with  which  he  reaches  up  to  the  high  branches 
of  the  trees  on  which  he  feeds  are  structures  that  arise 
out  of  the  desires  and  needs  of  the  builders.  Take  for  in- 
stance hair,  this  is  a  covering  mainly  to  keep  the  body  at 
an  equal  temperature.  In  a  cold  climate  the  covering 


FIG.  29. — Bird  descending.      (Made  by   man.) 

must  be  provided  either  by  the  cells  in  the  body  or  by  the 
acts  of  the  individual  himself,  as  in  the  case  of  man.  The 
cells  of  a  man  do  not  make  hair  on  the  body,  after  having 
discovered  a  better  way  of  covering  the  same  with  the 
skins  of  animals  or  otherwise,  which  covering  can  be  re- 
moved when  not  required.  Hair  is  produced  as  it  is  de- 
sired and  necessary.  On  the  animals  farthest  south  the 


150     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

hair  is  the  thinnest  and  on  those  farthest  north  it  is  the 
thickest,  but  the  evolutionist  steps  in  and  states  that  this 
is  due  to  natural  selection  and  survival  of  the  fittest, — 
that  is  to  say,  those  animals  in  the  north  that  happen  to 
be  born  with  short  hair  will  be  exterminated  by  the  cold 
weather,  and  in  that  way  all  the  short  haired  animals 
would  be  weeded  out  and  only  the  long  haired  animals 
would  be  left  to  perpetuate  themselves,  and  that  is  why 
we  find  long  haired  animals  in  the  north.  This  proposi- 
tion you  see  leaves  the  whole  cause  of  long  hair  in  the 
north,  to  chance  and  not  to  desire  and  intellect.  Upon  in- 
vestigation we  find,  however,  that  the  evolutionist  is  up 
against  it.  You  can  take  for  instance,  a  bunch  of  pups 
born  in  Iowa ;  keep  two  in  the  house  all  winter,  send  two 
to  New  Orleans  and  two  to  Alaska  and  let  two  run  out- 
doors and  this  experiment  I  believe  will  settle  the  whole 
question.  You  bring  the  pups  together  again  in  the 
spring  in  Iowa  and  you  will  be  astonished  at  the  differ- 
ence in  the  length  and  thickness  of  the  hair  on  the  dogs. 
There  has  been  no  time  to  produce  the  extra  length  of 
hair  by  chance,  natural  selection  or  survival  of  the  fittest. 
Where  the  climate  required  the  long  and  thick  fur  the 
builders  and  caretakers  of  the  body  provided  the  cover- 
ing. The  same  is  true  of  horses,  cattle,  cats  and  other 
animals.  The  hair  will  be  short  and  thin  on  the  animals 
sent  south,  and  thick  and  long  on  those  sent  north. 
Everyone  knows  what  long,  thick  hair  the  cattle  and 
horses  have  that  have  been  running  out  all  winter  in  open 
sheds,  among  corn  stalks  and  straw  stacks.  The  necessity 
of  protecting  the  body  from  destruction  by  the  cold 
weather  requires  long  and  thick  hair.  The  cells  of  the 
surface  of  the  body  understand  how  to  get  the  material 
with  which  to  build  the  protective  covering,  and  they  in- 
crease its  thickness  and  length  for  that  purpose  when 


THE   DIVING   STRUCTURES  151 

necessary  and  not  otherwise.  The  actions  of  the  cells  in 
building  hair  are  brought  about  precisely  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  actions  of  man  in  making  and  covering 
himself  with  heavy  clothing  whenever  it  is  necessary  and 
not  otherwise.  It  is  his  needs  and  desires  and  require- 
ments that  spur  him  to  action.  It  is  of  course  true  that 
any  person  in  a  cold  climate  who  does  not  have  sense 
enough  to  make  and  cover  himself  with  clothes  will  per- 
ish and  be  exterminated  and  this  would  be  true  of  those 
animal  building  cells.  The  builders  of  every  animal  have 
sense  and  intelligence  enough  to  increase  the  length  and 
thickness  of  the  hair  if  necessary  in  the  same  manner  that 
man  has,  to  provide  himself  with  the  clothes  required. 
The  act  requires  skill  and  intelligence  sufficient  to  gather 
the  material  and  build  the  structure,  be  it  hair  or  clothes. 
One  requires  just  as  much  intelligence  as  the  other. 
There  is  a  production  of  hair  for  a  purpose,  just  as  there 
is  a  production  of  clothes  for  a  purpose,  just  so  we  find 
structures  of  all  kinds  produced  in  the  living  world  for  a 
purpose,  as  for  instance,  the  shells  of  the  sea  animals: 
some  are  thick  and  powerful  in  order  to  resist  the  crush 
of  the  water  pressure  in  the  deep  ocean,  or  the  crash  and 
hammering  of  the  waves  on  the  shore ;  other  shells  are 
thin  like  those  which  move  over  the  mud  in  shallow  still 
water.  The  shells  are  the  houses  in  which  colonies  of  cells 
live.  Experience  shows  that  if  you  plant  them  in  deeper 
and  rougher  waters  they  will  build  a  shell  stronger  and 
thicker,  just  as  you  might  expect,  for  if  the  builders  act 
with  intelligence  in  one  place  they  will  also  do  so  in  other 
places.  This  fact  has  been  shown  in  thousands  of  ways-, 
for  instance,  one  class  of  cells  will  take  charge  of  the  work 
of  another  class,  the  cells  in  charge  of  the  mucus  mem- 
brane will  build  an  outside  skin  covering  if  necessary,  or 
the  cells  in  charge  of  the  ^utside  skin  will  refuse  to  build 


152     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

it  if  it  is  not  the  right  thing  to  do.  On  this  point  Spencer 
makes  the  remark :  "That  is  to  say,  these  literally  outer 
layers  of  skin  are  capable  of  rapidly  assuming  one  an- 
other's structures  and  functions  when  subject  to  one  an- 
other's conditions.  Mucus  surfaces  normally  kept  covered, 
become  skin-like  if  exposed  to  the  air,  originally  moist, 
tender  to  the  touch  and  irritated  by  the  air.  The  surface 
gradually  becomes  covered  with  a  thick,  dry  cuticle  and 
scarcely  more  sensitive."  The  facts  seem  to  be  that  noth- 
ing is  produced  or  changed  except  when  it  is  necessary 
and  for  a  purpose.  It  never  takes  place  by  chance.  We 
find  that  differentiation  will  arise  altogether  from  their 
method,  place  and  condition  of  existence ;  that  every 
plant,  insect,  bird  or  animal  is  a  structure  designed  to 
meet  certain  conditions  of  life,  in  the  same  manner  ex- 
actly as  a  ship  is  designed  to  move  over  water,  an  automo- 
bile over  the  ground  and  the  airship  through  the  air. 
Plants  and  animals  have  so  many  structures  in  common, 
which  over-lap  each  other  in  so  many  ways,  that  it  is  im- 
possible to  tell  in  a  great  number  of  cases  where  the  ani- 
mal commences  and  the  plant  ends. 

La  Mark  classified  all  creation  according  to  the  de- 
velopment of  the  brain  and  nervous  system ;  such  a  classi- 
fication proved  later,  of  course,  to  be  entirely  erroneous, 
as  it  was  discovered  later  that  insects  showed  intelligence 
in  their  particular  place  in  life  equal  if  not  superior  to  any 
of  the  higher  animals.  The  cell  that  builds  the  little  air- 
ship known  as  the  lightning  bug  has  the  knowledge  com- 
pletely mastered  of  how  to  produce  a  light  without  heat. 
Hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  have  been  spent  by  the 
most  skilled  chemists  to  learn  the  secret  known  by  the 
builders  of  this  bug  of  how  to  produce  a  light  without 
heat.  We  have  finally,  after  spending  considerable  money 


THE   LIVING   STRUCTURES  153 

in  experimenting,  learned  from  the  silk  worm  how  to 
make  artificial  silk. 

It  is  impossible  to  classify  the  living  structures  into 
classes  or  individuals  in  a  great  number  of  cases,  as  for 
instance,  in  the  case  of  some  sea-weeds  or  animals  that 
grow  fastened  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  At  first  this  crea- 
ture will  be  only  a  single  cell,  swimming  in  the  water,  then 
it  will  change  and  build  itself  into  a  fish-like  form  swim- 
ing  in  the  ocean ;  finally  this  form  will  change  into  a  sta- 
tionary structure  settled  on  the  bottom  of  the  sea  like 
sponges  or  sea-weed. 

Every  structure,  plant  or  animal,  shows  clearly  that  it 
is  made  with  a  purpose  of  effecting  certain  ends  and  that 
is  to  satisfy  some  desire.  Take  the  case  for  instance  of  the 
corn-plant.  This  plant  in  order  to  protect  the  cob  from 
field  mice  and  other  rodents  never  starts  a  cob  down  near 
the  ground.  The  starchy  nutritious  kernels  embodying 
the  embryo  corn  must  be  protected  from  weather,  insects 
and  birds,  which  is  done  by  a  very  strong  husk.  This 
strong  husk  prevents  the  male  germs  of  the  plant  who  are 
located  on  top  in  the  tassel  from  getting  to  the  female 
germ  in  the  kernel.  How  did  they  solve  that  problem  and 
overcome  that  difficulty?  By  building  a  hollow  tube 
from  the  female  germ  in  the  kernel  extending  clear  out- 
side. When  the  male  germ  in  the  tassel  falls  down  on 
the  silk,  which  is  a  hollow  tube,  leading  to  the  female 
germ  he  hunts  up  the  end  of  the  silk  and  crawls  down 
through  this  hollow  tube  which  directs  him  to  the  place 
of  the  female  germ.  Considered  as  a  whole  it  is  a  won- 
derful scheme  and  all  the  difficult  problems  have  been 
solved  and  taken  care  of  in  the  best  possible  manner. 
In-breeding  must  be  prevented  if  possible  so  the  male 
cells  are  placed  away  as  far  as  possible.  There  is  a  desire 
to  give  the  young  corn  plant  a  start  in  life  so  each  cell  is 


154     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

provided  with  food  consisting  of  the  starch  of  the  kernel 
which  is  sufficient  until  they  have  been  able  to  get  them- 
selves established  in  the  soil  and  by  the  aid  of  sunlight  to 
make  their  own  food  and  building  material  from  the  raw 
material  at  hand.  The  corn  building  cells  work  with  a 
purpose  in  view  arising  from  a  desire  to  effect  certain 
ends.  We  build  houses,  make  clothes,  produce  food.  We 
want  and  need  these  articles.  We  must  be  protected  from 
the  weather.  This  causes  the  construction  of  all  kinds 
of  structures  to  protect  us  from  the  elements.  The  need 
of  food  of  all  kinds  caused  the  railroads  and  in  this  man- 
ner we  can  trace  every  desire  to  do  any  particular  act  to 
arise  from  our  wants  and  necessities.  The  desire  has 
stimulated  effort,  and  effort  has  devised  and  conceived 
structures  and  methods  by  which  it  could  be  accom- 
plished. In  the  effort  to  build  a  house  certain  activities 
take  place  involving  judgment  and  discretion.  Such  ma- 
terial will  be  selected  as  in  the  judgment  of  the  builder 
is  most  suitable.  Every  act  will  involve  intelligence,  in 
order  that  the  structure  shall  conform  to  the  mental  pic- 
ture of  what  the'builder  wants.  In  the  same  manner  does 
everything  that  we  see  come  to  be  and  exist  from  the  most 
complicated  city  block  and  railroad  system  to  the  smallest 
living  organism.  In  this  particular  I  agree  with  Mr.  Dar- 
win, who  states : 

"That  animals  have  a  capacity  to  be  modified  by  pro- 
cesses which  their  own  desires  initiate."  He  states  fur- 
ther in  another  place  that :  "Their  powers  are  excited 
into  action  by  the  necessities  of  the  creatures  which  pos- 
sess them  and  on  which  their  existence  depends."  Again 
he  states :  "That  from  the  first  rudiment  or  primordium 
to  the  termination  of  their  lives,  all  animals  undergo  per- 
petual transformations  which  are  in  part  produced  by 
their  own  exertions  in  consequence  of  their  desires,  aver- 


THE  LIVING  STRUCTURES  155 

sions,  pleasures,  pains,  irritations  or  associations."  You 
will  see  then  that  all  living  structures  are  caused  by  rea- 
son of  the  desires  of  the  parties  who  construct  them, 
which  desires  arise  from  the  wants  and  necessities  of  the 
parties.  The  desires  will  be  likely  limited  to  that  party's 
experience  or  knowledge.  Every  action  in  life  is  traceable 
to  an. effort  to  adjust  and  adapt  itself  to  meet  conditions 
and  external  forces. 

Professor  Haeckel,  the  great  German  biologist  states, 
"Cells  are  grouped  together  as  builders  or  sculptors 
because  they  alone  in  reality  build  the  organism."  Still 
Mr.  Haeckel  claims  that  the  actions  of  the  cells  are  caused 
by  merely  chemical  and  mechanical  forces, — that  they  are 
not  intelligent  beings.  It  seems  absurd  to  me  to  claim 
that  the  living  beings  who  are  the  sculptors  and  builders 
of  all  living  structures  have  no  intelligence.  It  is  simply 
unthinkable. 

In  reference  to  the  general  course  of  development  of 
animals  he  states :  "For  example — from  the  fact  that  the 
human  egg  is  a  simple  cell,  we  may  at  once  infer  that 
there  has  been  at  a  very  remote  time  a  unicellular  ances- 
tor of  the  human  race,  resembling  the  amoeba.  Again 
from  the  fact  that  the  human  embryo  originally  consists 
merely  of  two  simple  germ  layers  we  may  at  once  safely 
infer  that  a  very  ancient  ancestral  form  is  represented  by 
the  two  layered  gastraea.  A  later  embryo  form  of  the 
human  being  points  with  equal  certainty  to  a  primitive 
worm  like  ancestral  form,  which  is  related  to  the  sea- 
squirts  or  ascidians  of  the  present  day. 

"If  we  go  back  to  still  earlier  stages  of  development  we 
are  unable  even  to  discover  any  distinction  between  the 
embryos  of  these  higher  vertebrates  and  those  of  the 
lower,  such  as  the  amphibia  and  fishes.  Finally  if  we  go 
still  further  back  to  the  construction  of  the  body  from 


156    CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 


FIG.  30. — Embryos  in  three  stages  of  development. — HAECKEL 


THE  LIVING  STRUCTURES 


157 


FIG.  31. — Embryos  in  three  stages  of  development. — HAECKEL. 


158     CELL,  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

the  four  secondary  germ  layers,  we  may  make  the  surpris- 
ing discovery  that  these  same  four  germ  layers  exist,  not 
only  in  all  vertebrates  but  also  in  all  higher  inverte- 
brates and  that  they  are  everywhere  concerned  in  the 
same  way  in  forming  the  fundamental  organs  of  the  body. 
And  if  then  we  inquire  into  the  origin  of  these  four  sec- 
ondary germ  layers,  we  find  that  they  develope  from  the 
two  primary  germ  layers,  which  are  identical  in  all  ani- 
mals with  the  exception  of  the  lowest  division,  the  pro- 
tista. Finally  we  see  that  the  cells  which  compose  the 
two  primary  germ  layers  universally  originate  by  fission 
from  a  single  simple  cell,  from  the  egg  cell." 

You  will  notice  from  this  statement  that  the  course  of 
development  or  building  of  an  animal,  including  man, 
takes  place  in  the  same  manner  in  one  animal  as  in  an- 
other, and  his  illustrations  clearly  show  the  similarity  of 
all  animals  in  the  lower  stages  of  development.  Figs. 
30  and  31  show  how  the  cell  begins  with  the  small 
and  simple  and  gradually  builds  the  complicated  living 
structures.  You  see  in  the  turtle  how  the  cells  have  out- 
lined the  shape  and  frame  of  the  shell.  It  shows  that 
every  move  is  for  the  purpose  of  building  a  moveable  cell 
colony,  which  shall  be  covered  with  a  protective  armor. 
In  the  same  manner  you  can  see  a  purpose  and  intention 
of  the  builders  in  any  other  structure,  as  soon  as  it  is 
partly  completed,  just  as  you  can  see  in  a  partly  com- 
pleted house  or  automobile  the  intention  of  the  builders. 
You  can  see  a  purpose  in  every  act ;  every  brick  and  piece 
of  material  must  be  placed  exactly  where  it  belongs ; 
every  part  of  the  machine  must  be  placed  with  a  purpose 
and  intention  of  working  in  harmony  with  every  other 
part. 

A  being  without  intelligence  could  never  work  in  this 
way  with  a  purpose  and  with  an  intention  of  producing 


THE   LIVING   STRUCTURES  159 

a  work  of  art.  Intelligence  and  skill  of  the  highest  order 
is  required  to  produce  these  well  balanced  and  highly 
complicated  structures  we  call  animals  and  plants.  The 
common  frog  is  a  good  illustration  of  the  course  and  gen- 
eral development  of  an  animal.  He  begins  as  a  single 
cell  which  multiplies  into  enormous  colonies  which  again 
group  themselves  into  a  fish.  This  fish  gradually  changes 
into  the  perfect  animal  or  frog.  This  shows  how  the 
cells  start  building  with  a  purpose  and  continue  as  far  as 


FIG.  32. — Tadpoles  and  Frog;  a,  tadpole  with  branching  external  gills;  b, 
gills  absorbed  and  hind  legs  have  appeared;  c,  fore  legs  have  appeared;  d,  tail 
shrunk  and  legs  enlarged;  e.  perfect,  young  frog, — tail  entirely  disappeared. 
The  figures  represent  some  stages  in  the  life  history  of  the  frog. — SCHUTE. 

they  have  had  experience.  This  particular  kind  of  cell 
has  been  building  these  structures,  and  that  is  the  extent 
of  its  skill  and  experience.  In  the  same  manner  some  peo- 
ple or  animals  have  had  experience  in  building  certain 
kinds  of  structures  and  houses,  and  they  always  build 
those  and  none  other  because  they  are  the  only  kind  they 
know  how  to  build.  That  point  will  be  more  fully  consid- 
ered under  the  Cause  of  inheritance. 

It  must  be  clear  to  the  reader  by  this  time  that  all 


160     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

structures  in  life  are  made  for  a  purpose  in  a  similar  man- 
ner as  all  structures  put  up  by  man  are  built  for  a  pur- 
pose. Living  structures  are  made  to  move  in  air,  earth 
or  water  or  to  remain  stationary  on  the  earth.  In  the 
same  manner  we  build  structures  to  move  through  the 
air,  over  the  earth  and  water.  It  requires  intelligence  in 
the  builder  to  produce  these  structures.  For  instance,  to 
build  a  wagon,  the  builder  must  know  how  and  where  to 
obtain  the  wood,  iron  and  other  material,  and  he  must 
have  an  idea  of  what  he  is  about  to  do.  Every  move  must 
be  correct  and  for  the  purpose  of  completing  the  wagon. 
He  must  have  knowledge  of  the  strength  of  materials  in 
order  to  produce  a  wagon  that  will  carry  the  ordinary 
load.  In  other  words  to  produce  any  structure  designed 
for  a  purpose,  requires  intelligence.  If  it  is  to  be  a  land 
animal,  it  must  be  built  to  occupy  and  move  over  the  sur- 
face of  the  earth  in  a  certain  way.  There  are  enemies, 
weather  and  elements  to  contend  with,  and  these  must 
all  be  considered  in  the  making  of  the  machine  or  moving 
habitation.  The  experience  of  the  past  must  be  there  to 
amide  the  builder.  From  those  experiences  he  must  form 
ideas  that  guide  his  actions.  The  ear  is  made  for  hearing, 
just  as  a  knife  is  made  for  cutting.  These  are  both  in- 
struments made  for  a  purpose  and  are  produced  by  in- 
telligence and  not  by  chance.  The  eyes  are  made  for  see- 
ing, just  as  opera  glasses  are  made  to  help  us  see  better. 
The  cell  completes  the  structure  little  by  little  for  a  pur- 
pose, just  as  if  it  had  a  model  before  it.  What  is  the 
difference  between  the  act  by  man  of  building  huts  and 
houses  and  the  same  act  by  the  muskrat  or  the  beaver. 
Consider  how  they  all  work  in  harmony  for  a  purpose 
just  the  same  as  man.  The  birds  build  nests  and  a  home 
to  raise  a  family,  so  does  man ;  the  birds  sing  and  display 
their  beauty  to  attract  the  opposite  sex,  so  does  the 


THE   LIVING  STRUCTURES  161 

human  race.  The  bird  is  made  to  sail  through  the  air. 
Consider  how  perfectly  everything  is  calculated  and  ad- 
justed to  effect  that  purpose.  The  bones  are  all  made 
hollow  and  extremely  light,  even  lighter  than  aluminum. 
Those  little  animals  we  call  cells  build  and  produce  these 
structures  and  attend  to  every  detail  in  their  production. 
Think  of  the  factors  entering  into  the  construction  of  the 
eye.  It  is  made  to  receive  an  image  like  a  photographic 
plate  with  the  purpose  of  transferring  impressions  and 
images  received  to  the  brain  cells.  Every  step  in  the  pro- 
duction of  the  eye  must  be  exactly  calculated,  and  every 
act  performed  with  a  purpose  in  view.  Think  of  the  per- 
fect adjustment  of  the  crystalline  lens,  vitreous  humor, 
and  cornea  of  the  eye  and  how  the  light  is  continually 
regulated  by  those  cells  who  have  charge  of  the  opening 
and  closing  of  the  pupil  of  the  eye  to  adjust  the  intensity 
of  the  light  falling  on  the  retina.  In  reference  to  the  de- 
velopment of  the  eye  Mr.  Haeckel  has  the  following  to 
say: 

"The  essential  difference  between  the  real  eye  and  a 
part  of  the  skin  that  is  merely  sensitive  to  light  is  that 
the  eye  can  form  a  picture  of  objects  of  the  outer  world. 
This  faculty  of  vision  begins  with  the  formation  of  a  small 
convergent  lens,  a  bi-convex  refracting  body  at  a  certain 
spot  on  the  surface.  Dark  pigment  cells,  which  surround 
it  absorb  the  light  rays.  From  this  first  phylogenetic 
form  of  the  organ  of  vision  up  to  the  elaborate  human  eye, 
there  is  a  long  scale  of  evolutionary  stages — not  less  ex- 
tensive and  remarkable  than  the  historical  succession  of 
artificial  optical  instruments  from  the  simple  lens  to  the 
complicated  modern  telescope  or  microscope.  This  great 
"wonder  of  life" — the  long  scale  of  the  evolution  of  the 
eye — has  an  interesting  bearing  on  many  important  ques- 
tions of  general  physiology  and  phylogeny." 


162    CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

Just  note  how  Mr.  Haeckel  compares  the  acts  of  the 
cell  in  perfecting  the  eye  with  the  acts  of  man  in  perfect- 
ing- and  developing  the  telescope  and  microscope.  The 
following  statement  also  by  Mr.  Haeckel  seems  to  me 
quite  a  conclusive  admission  by  him  of  intelligence  in  the 
cell  mind :  "The  history  of  civilization  teaches  us  that 
its  gradual  evolution  is  bound  up  with  three  different 
nrocesses : 

(1)  Association  of  individuals  in  a  community. 

(2)  Division  of  labor  (ergonomy)    among  the    social 
elements  and  the  consequent  differentiation  of  structure 
(polymorphism) . 

(3)  Centralization  or  integration  of  the  unified  whole, 
or  rigid  organization  of  the  community.    The  same  fun- 
damental laws  of  sociality    hold    good    for    association 
throughout  the   entire  organic  world  and  also  for  the 
gradual  evolution  of  the  several  organs  out  of  the  tissues 
and  cell  communities.    The  formation  of  human  societies 
is  directly  connected  with  the  gregariousness  of  the  near- 
est related  mammals.    The  herds  of  apes  and  Ungulata, 
the  packs  of  wolves,  the  flocks  of  birds  often  controlled 
by  a  single  leader,  exhibit  various  stages  of  social  forma- 
tion as  also  the  swarm  of  the  higher  articulates  (insects, 
Crustacea),  especially  communities  of  ants  and  termites, 
swarms  of  bees,  etc.     These  organized  communities  of 
free  individuals  are  distinguished  from  the  stationary  col- 
onies of  the  lower  animals  chiefly  by  the  circumstance 
that  the  social  elements  are  not  bodily  connected  but  held 
together  by  the  ideai  link  of  common  interest." 

If  the  cell  has  gone  through  the  same  process  of  social 
organization  and  evolution  as  man,  why  is  he  not  also  the 
same  intelligent  being  as  man?  Did  you  ever  stop  to 
think  what  takes  place  when  the  surface  of  the  body  is 
cut  or  bruised?  The  white  blood  cells,  as  they  are  called, 


THE   LIVING  STRUCTURES  163 

who  are  the  general  caretakers  of  the  body,  whose  duty 
it  is  to  look  after  everything-  in  general,  such  as  the  fight- 
ing of  bacteria  and  disease  germs  and  the  general  repair 
work,  will  sacrifice  their  own  lives  by  thousands  if  neces- 
sary to  save  the  body.  They  live  in  the  body  enjoying 
complete  liberty.  They  do  not  float  in  the  blood  stream 
except  when  in  a  hurry  to  get  somewhere,  but  move 
around  everywhere  as  separate  independent  beings  to  see 
that  everything  goes  right.  If  a  bruise  or  cut  happens 
they  are  at  once  informed  in  some  way.  We  do  not  know 
just  how,  but  they  rush  to  the  spot  by  thousands  and 
direct  the  repair  work  and  if  necessary  they  change  their 
own  occupation  and  take  a  different  job,  that  of  making 
connective  tissue  in  order  to  bind  the  tissues  together. 
In  nearly  every  open  sore,  bruise  or  cut,  they  are  killed  in 
great  numbers  in  their  faithful  efforts  to  repair  and  close 
up  the  wound.  A  text  book  on  physiology  briefly  speaks 
of  it  as  follows  : 

"When  the  skin  is  injured  the  white  blood  cells  form 
new  tissue  upon  the  surface,  while  the  epithelium 
spreads  over  it  from  the  edges,  stopping  the  growth  and 
completing  the  healing  processes." 

There  seems  to  be  no  particular  center  in  the  body 
around  which  intelligence  revolves.  Every  cell  seems  to 
be  a  center  of  intelligence  and  knows  what  his  duties  are 
wherever  he  is  placed  and  wherever  we  find  him.  Every 
citizen  of  the  cell  republic  is  an  intelligent  patriotic  be- 
ing. It  is  a  democracy  where  every  individual  enjoys  an 
intelligent  independent  existence,  and  all  are  working 
together  for  the  welfare  of  all.  Nowhere  can  we  find 
more  absolute  sacrifice  of  the  lives  of  the  individuals  to 
the  general  welfare  of  all  than  we  do  in  the  cell  republic. 
The  results  cannot  be  obtained  in  any  other  way  nor  at 
any  less  cost  of  individual  sacrifice,  so  it  is  necessary  to 


164     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

their  social  existence.  The  principle  of  individual  sacri- 
fice to  common  welfare  has  been  accepted  and  agreed 
upon  as  the  right  thing  and  as  their  common  duty,  im- 
partially distributed  among  them,  and  they  perform  their 
allotted  work  and  duties  regardless  of  their  own  individ- 
ual comfort.  I  wish  again  to  call  your  attention  to  the 
various  intelligent  acts  of  the  cell,  living  as  a  separate 
individual  before  he  has  begun  the  social  life.  We  find 
him  then  in  the  same  place  as  savage  man,  before  man  be- 
gan his  social  and  civilized  life.  We  find  the  cell  using 
weapons  like  spears  and  bow  and  arrow  with  which  to 
fight  his  enemy  and  capture  his  prey.  I  quote  from  Mr. 
Binet  and  others  of  the  different  actions  of  single  cells 
as  follows : 

"With  the  cell  the  biologists  can  reconstruct  the  animal 
and  vegetable  kingdom  by  studying  the  forms  and  be- 
havior of  single  cells  and  one  celled  animals.  One  can 
better  understand  the  structure  and  physiology  of  the 
highest  and  most  specialized  forms,  even  that  of  man — 
for  as  Geddes  has  remarked  :  "The  functions  of  the  body 
are  the  result  of  the  aggregate  functions  of  its  cell  and 
are  explained  by  variations  or  phases  of  the  activities  of 
them.  Food  is  taken  by  the  protozoa  into  the  interior 
of  the  body,  the  digestible  portion  assimilated  and  the 
portion  of  no  use  to  the  organism  afterwards  rejected. 
The  character  of  the  nourishment  also  varies.  Some 
forms  live  on  vegetable  productions  alone,  while  others 
absorb  any  organic  body,  animal  or  plant,  often  devouring 
rotifers,  worms  or  Crustacea  far  higher  in  the  scale  than 
themselves.  In  the  higher  protozoa  the  food  is  either 
brought  to  the  part  of  the  body  set  aside  for  the  recep- 
tion of  food  by  currents  of  water,  created  by  the  rapid 
moving  cilia,  while  in  others  the  animals  which  are  eaten 
are  in  some  unexplained  manner  benumbed  by  the  pro- 


THE   LIVING   STRUCTURES  165 

tozoon  and  then  devoured.  The  hunter  infusoria  are  fre- 
quently armed  with  trichocysts.  Trichocysts  are  urtical 
filaments,  which  serve  the  animalcula  provided  with  them 
to  disable  or  wound  other  micro  organisms. 

"A  large  number  of  infusoria,  the  paramecia,  the  ophry- 
oglene,  etc.,  use  their  trichocysts  as  organs  of  defense. 
With  other  species  of  which  we  shall  speak  more  at 
length,  the  trychocysts  are  organs  of  offense.  They  are 
located  either  in  the  sides  of  the  mouth  or  in  parts  adja- 
cent thereto.  This  is  the  case  with  the  lacrymaria,  the 
didinium,  the  enchelys,  the  lagynus,  the  loxophyllum  and 
amphileptus.  These  latter  animalcula  attack  live  prey 
that  constitute  their  food  in  the  following  manner :  They 
dash  upon  their  victim  and  bury  the  trychocysts  with 
which  they  are  armed  into  its  body.  The  victim  is  imme- 
diately brought  to  a  halt  whereupon  the  hunter  siezes  it 
and  swallows  it." 

There  are  a  great  number  of  species  of  single  cells 
which  have  invented  weapons  with  which  to  fight  their 
enemy  at  a  distance.  These  cells,  that  make  weapons  and 
hunt  their  prey  and  also  use  them  in  defense,  resemble 
man  in  his  savage  state  very  closely.  Still  they  are  mic- 
roscopic beings,  similar  to  the  amoeba  and  those  cells 
that  build  animals  and  plants.  It  seems  to  me  absurd  to 
say  that  these  individuals,  (whether  as  large  as  a  moun- 
tain or  smaller  than  a  grain  of  sand),  who  display  ability 
to  invent,  make  and  use  weapons,  who  organize  them- 
selves into  high  class  societies  and  republics,  and  build  all 
the  various  living  structures  that  we  see  are  not  endowed 
with  intelligence.  The  following  is  a  description  of  the 
cell  who  builds  the  human  body  from  Conn  and  Buding- 
ton's  Advanced  Physiology  now  used  generally  in  the 
high  schools  and  universities.  "The  amoeba  is  one  of 
the  simplest  animals  and  lives  in  stagnant  water.  It  is 


166     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

only  a  lump  of  jelly  about  1,000th  of  an  inch  in  diameter 
yet  it  is  a  complete  animal  for  it  moves,  eats  and  grows 
and  produces  other  amoeba."  Man  is  like  an  amoeba. 
Each  part  of  man's  body  is  made  of  a  multitude  of  living 
beings,  each  of  which  eats  and  grows  like  an  amoeba. 
Each  tiny  being  is  called  a  cell.  One  collection  of  cells 
form  the  skin,  another  the  muscles  of  the  arm  and  another 
the  stomach  and  so  on  through  the  body.  Each  collection 
does  its  own  work  without  interfering  with  the  others. 
The  cells  work  together  like  a  well  trained  army,  so  we 
do  not  feel  the  workings  of  each  separate  cell.  If  a  col- 
lection is  out  of  order  the  person  is  sick. 

"Relation  of  cells — In  the  body  formed  by  the  cells 
there  exists  a  controlling  spirit  of  life,  whose  nature  is  un- 
known. When  all  the  cells  are  obedient  to  its  influence, 
the  body  as  a  whole  is  alive,  but  if  the  cells  are  not  obed- 
ient, the  body  as  a  whole  is  dead,  although  each  separate 
cell  may  remain  alive.  For  example,  a  blow  upon  the 
head  may  disturb  this  controlling  influence  so  that  it 
cannot  tell  the  cells  how  to  act.  Then  they  instantly  stop 
work  and  the  body  drops  dead.  Yet  each  cell  may  remain 
alive  for  minutes  or  hours  just  as  each  soldier  may  remain 
alive  after  an  army  has  been  disbanded."  This  description 
of  the  cell  colony  or  individual  we  call  man  is  very  good, 
as  it  illustrates  its  high  state  of  organization. 

Before  I  close  this  chapter  on  structure,  I  must  call  at- 
tention to  one  of  the  wonderful  fly  catching  plants  that 
grows  in  the  bogs  and  swamps  of  South  Carolina.  It  is 
called  Venus  Fly  Trap.  This  plant,  which  has  roots  and 
obtains  nourishment  from  the  ground  and  air  like  other 
plants,  can  manufacture  its  own  food  from  the  earth,  air 
and  water  like  other  plants  by  the  aid  of  sunlight  and  does 
not  need  flies  and  insects  for  food.  It  catches  insects  as 
a  mere  pastime,  sport  and  luxury.  The  fly  trap  is  the 


THE   LIVING   STRUCTURES  167 

most  scientifically  built  structure  that  could  be  conceived 
to  effect  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  made.  It  opens  and 
closes  just  like  the  jaws  of  a  steel  trap.  The  trap  is  built 
out  at  the  end  of  the  leaf  showing  that  it  was  a  later  idea 
conceived  by  the  builders  of  the  plant  after  having  first 
lived  for  ages  without  this  trap.  The  idea  of  catching  a 
fly  now  and  then  for  food  or  sport  or  amusement  must 
have  arisen  in  the  minds  of  the  builders  of  this  plant.  The 
complete  fly  trap  must  have  been  first  conceived  by  the 
builders  before  they  could  have  entered  upon  the  work  of 


FIG.  33.- Venus  fly-trap. 

putting  it  together.  One  botanist  describes  it  in  the  fol- 
lowing language  :  "This  plant  called  the  Venus  Fly  Trap 
grows  only  in  the  peet  bogs  on  a  narrow  strip  of  country 
on  the  east  coast  of  North  America.  The  peculiarity  of 
the  plant  lies  in  its  leaves.  The  leaf  stalk  has  become  flat- 
tened out  so  as  to  be  leaf  like,  while  the  blade  proper  has 
become  edged  with  teeth  and  has  moreover  six  sharp  little 
bristles  standing  straight  up  three  on  each  side  of  the 
midrib.  These  midribs  are  sense  organs.  Touch  one  ever 
so  lightly  and  the  halves  of  the  leaves  on  which  they  are 
placed  close  up  together  abruptly  just  like  the  slamming 


168     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

to  of  a  volume,  the  midrib  serving  as  hinge  while  the 
teeth  at  the  edges  interlock  like  clamped  ringers.  The 
sense  bristles  too  shut  up,  as  a  blade  of  a  pen  knife 
closes.  If  the  touch  which  evokes  this  response  has  been 
given  by  say  the  end  of  a  pencil  the  two  halves  of  the 
leaves  will  slowly  open  again  and  the  bristles  raise  them- 
selves but  if  some  insect  brushes  against  them,  then  the 
rapid  closing  of  the  leaves  makes  it  a  prison,  while  out 
of  the  glands  of  the  surface  of  the  leaves  a  digestible  fluid 
quickly  overwhelms  the  poor  victim.  When  the  nutritive 
parts  are  completely  absorbed,  the  six  sense  bristles  once 
more  stand  erect  ready  for  action  like  soldiers  on  guard. 
Indeed  it  is  an  open  question  whether  in  the  whole  animal 
world  there  is  a  more  perfectly  constituted  organ  of  touch 
than  is  found  in  the  dionia  or  Venus  Fly  Trap." 

I  have  myself  examined  a  number  of  these  plants  and 
the  general  description  above  is  correct.  On  each  side  of 
the  leaf  are  three  sentinels  on  guard, — simply  hairs  or 
feelers  to  give  notice  to  the  thousand  or  more  individuals 
to  act  as  one  in  slapping  the  trap  shut  and  catch  the  insect 
when  he  gets  inside  of  the  dead  line.  Consider  the  situa- 
tion here — a  colony  of  cells  in  the  shape  of  a  plant.  Here 
is  no  brain,  nerves  or  muscles,  as  we  understand  them, 
simply  a  plant.  Still  it  is  a  colony  of  cells  in  the  same 
manner  that  an  animal  is  a  colony  of  cells.  Insects  are 
not  absolutely  necessary  as  food  for  the  builders  of  this 
plant — still  they  have  devised  and  built  an  elaborate  and 
effective  machine  with  which  to  catch  flies.  Considering 
the  size  of  the  fly  trap  enormous  numbers  are  required  to 
perform  the  work  of  slamming  the  trap  shut  when  notified 
to  do  so.  They  are  not  fooled  by  anything,  and  the  trap 
doors  only  shut  upon  insects  or  food.  It  is  inconceivable 
that  the  builders  and  operators  of  this  fly  catching  ma- 
chine can  be  anything  but  conscious  and  intelligent  be- 


THE    LIVING   STRUCTURES  169 

ings.  Where  does  the  chance  theory  of  natural  selection 
and  survival  of  the  fittest  of  the  evolutionist  come  in  here? 
That  theory  claims  that  everything-  came  to  be  as  it  is 
by  accidental  variations  beneficial  to  the  being,  that  is  to 
say,  every  beneficial  variation  would  make  him  the  fittest 
in  the  struggle  for  existence,  and  he  would  by  reason  of 
such  beneficial  variation  survive  and  perpetuate  his  kind. 
However,  in  this  case,  as  in  all  of  the  cases  I  have  exam- 
ined, the  variations  would  not  be  of  any  benefit  until  the 
structure  towards  which  the  variations  tended  was  com- 
pleted and  in  working  order.  No  chance  variation  could 
ever  have  produced  this  fly  trap.  Any  variations  or  acci- 
dental changes  in  the  leaves  of  the  plant  could  never  have 
produced  the  fly  trap  and  could  not  have  been  a  beneficial 
variation  until  the  fly  trap  was  completed,  but  on  the 
other  hand,  rather  an  injury.  It  is  true,  of  course,  that  in 
the  struggle  for  existence  between  individuals,  the  best 
one  will  win,  but  that  does  not  prove  or  in  any  way  show 
how  those  individuals  came  to  be.  For  instan'ce — two 
battleships  meet  out  at  sea  in  mortal  combat,  the  best  ship 
will  likely  win  out  and  will  be  left  to  produce  more  ships 
of  a  like  kind  but  it  does  not  show  in  any  way  who  pro- 
duced the  ships.  What  I  want  to  get  clear  is  this,  that 
the  survival  of  the  fittest  theory  is  only  an  incident  that 
determines  as  between  two  individuals  who  shall  live,  as 
there  is  not  room  for  both,  but  it  does  not  show  the  cause 
of  the  existence  of  these  individuals.  With  the  micro- 
scope that  we  now  have,  we  can  see  what  the  cause  is, 
and  who  are  the  builders  of  all  those  living  things  we 
call  plants  and  animals,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  it  is  time 
to  get  down  to  facts  and  admit  the  truth  as  far  as  we  can 
see  it.  What  process  of  development  took  place  in  the 
past  ages  to  produce  the  cell  we  have  today,  is  another 
question.  How  the  primordial  cell  of  which  the  cell  is 


170    CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 

composed  came  to  be  and  multiplies  is  another  question 
which  we  are  not  at  this  time  able  to  answer.  It  was  just 
as  much  of  a  mystery  35  years  ago  what  produced  the 
plants  and  animals  as  it  is  now  a  mystery  what  produces 
the  cell.  I  believe  that  some  day  the  mystery  will  be 
solved. 


CHAPTER  V. 
WHAT   IS   INTELLIGENCE? 

What  is  understood  by  the  word  Intelligence?  What 
should  be  considered  an  intelligent  being  or  individual? 
This  must  be  settled  before  we  go  any  further. 

First,  what  is  understood  by  intellect?  The  dictionar- 
ies define  intellect  as,  "That  faculty  of  the  human  mind 
which  perceives,  understands  and  thinks."  Webster 
states  that  it  is  the  "Faculty  of  the  human  soul  or  mind 
which  receives  or  comprehends  the  ideas  communicated 
to  it  by  the  senses." 

These  definitions  clearly  show  that  the  sense  organs, 
eye,,  ear,  nose,  etc.,  are  no  part  of  the  intellect.  The  intel- 
lect then  is  the  brain  cells.  They  receive  impressions  and 
think. 

How  do  the  dictionaries  define  intelligence?  They  de- 
fine it  as,  "The  power  of  discovering  or  understanding." 
This  definition  includes  both  the  senses  and  the  brain. 

To  be  able  to,  and  to  have  the  power  to  discover  you 
must  not  only  have  the  brain  cells  to  do  the  thinking,  but 
you  must  have  the  apparatus  to  receive  and  transmit  to 
the  brain  cells,  impressions  and  conditions  existing  in 
the  world  outside  of  the  body,  so  they  can  have  something 
to  think  about,  or  something  to  understand. 

The  dictionaries  define  intelligent  as  well-informed 
and  skilled.  A  person  could  not  be  well-informed,  skilled, 


172     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

or  intelligent,  unless  he  possessed  most  of  his  sense  or- 
gans and  also  his  brain  cells  or  thinkers. 

The  five  senses  are  the  instruments  by  which  the  brain 
cells  obtain  this  information  from  the  outside  world.  They 
have  nothing  to  do  with  the  thinking. 

The  brain  cells  and  their  assistants,  the  nerves,  have 
charge  of  the  business  of  receiving  information  from,  and 
being  in  touch  with  the  outside  world,  and  of  directing 
and  guiding  all  the  other  members  and  cells  of  the  body. 
This  will  clearly  show  that  the  cells  may  be  ever  so  able 
to  think  and  direct, — that  is  intelligent,  as  far  as  they  are 
concerned,  but  should  they  be  deprived  of  information 
from  the  outside  world,  they  would  not  be  able  to  exercise 
their  faculty  of  thinking  and  directing,  especially  in  refer- 
ence to  matters  taking  place  in  the  outside  world,  be  they 
ever  so  dangerous  to  the  existence  and  welfare  of  them- 
selves and  the  whole  body  in  general.  To  illustrate :  If 
we  left  the  house  and  went  into  the  timber  with  a  gun  to 
shoot  a  lion,  and  the  gun  should  accidentally  explode  and 
destroy  the  eyesight,  we  would  likely  iiave  a  hard  time 
finding  the  way  back  home,  and  would  probably  be  eaten 
by  the  lion.  Why?  Because  the  instrument  by  which  we 
convey  continually  to  the  brain  cells  information  of  the 
outside  world,  so  that  the  brain  cells  can  think  and  know 
what  is  going  on  outside,  has  been  destroyed,  and  they 
have  no  means  of  knowing  of  any  impending  danger,  or 
of  where  to  go  and  cannot  give  any  directions  to  the  mo- 
tor or  any  other  part  of  the  cell  body. 

It  is  the  business  of  the  brain  cells  to  inform  the  other 
cells  of  the  body  of  the  approaching  lion,  and  where  to  go, 
and  to  order  the  limbs  to  immediate  action,  in  order  to 
save  the  whole  body  or  cell  community  from  utter  de- 
struction by  the  lion.  The  brain  cells  are,  however,  help- 
less, because  the  instrument  necessary  to  receive  and 


WHAT  IS   INTELLIGENCE?  173 

transmit  the  information  is  not  working.  If  a  person  at 
a  distance  saw  a  man  standing  on  the  road  with  a  gun, 
and  a  lion  coming  toward  him,  and  this  man  made  no  ef- 
fort to  shoot  or  to  get  away,  the  person  would  declare  that 
the  man  was  crazy  and  not  possessed  of  any  intelligence ; 
and  yet  the  man,  or  the  cells  of  his  brain,  would  be  just  as 
intelligent  as  ever. 

To  further  illustrate,  if  a  submarine  should  start  out 
from  Germany  and  by  accident  should  destroy  its  head- 
lights and  periscope,  it  would  not  be  likely  that  it  would 
get  back  home  without  being  destroyed  by  an  English 
cruiser  or  battleship.  When  it  came  to  the  surface  for 
air,  like  the  whale,  it  could  not  tell  whether  it  was  near 
an  English  destroyer  or  not,  nor  could  it  see  the  dangers 
ahead,  when  starting  towards  the  steel  nets  stretched  out 
ahead  of  it.  . 

There  is  no  difference  whatever  in  the  purpose  and 
functions  of  the  periscope  of  the  submarine  and  the  eye 
of  a  man,  animal,  or  fish.  The  man  at  the  other  end  of  the 
periscope  gets  a  picture  of  the  situation  in  the  outside 
world  and  from  this  picture  he  thinks,  reasons  and  decides 
what  to  do.  If  the  battleship  is  too  near,  he  orders  the 
different  acts  to  be  done  by  the  parties  in  charge  of  the 
propellers  and  rudders,  in  order  to  escape  the  enemy.  In 
the  same  way,  in  man  the  brain  cells  at  the  other  end  of 
the  eye  get  a  picture  of  the  situation  and  if  they  observe 
an  enemy  approaching,  or  too  near,  they  order  immediate 
action  so  as  to  get  out  of  danger.  The  same  is  true  of  a 
fish. — like  a  submarine,  it  would  order  the  cells  in  charge 
of  the  propelling  apparatus  and  rudder  to  action  to  move 
to  a  place  of  safety  and  away  from  the  enemy. 

This  should  clearly  illustrate  the  proposition  that  the 
senses  are  instruments  which  are  constructed  for  a  special 
purpose  of  obtaining  and  transmitting  information  from 


174     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

the  outside  world,  and  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  think- 
ing or  reasoning,  which  will  be  necessary  to  intelligently 
direct  the  actions  of  the  other  organs  of  the  body  to  move 
to  a  place  of  safety. 

We  see  them  in  every  organized  body  or  being,  like  ani- 
mals (and  we  shall  see  later  also  in  plants),  where  there 
has  been  a  division  of  labor  and  a  special  organ  arranged 
for  receiving  and  transmitting  sensations  or  information, 
that  the  bunch  of  cells  which  have  any  special  work  in 
charge,  like  the  cells  which  make  up  the  eye  and  ear.  have 
nothing  to  do  but  receive  and  transmit  impressions. 

The  thinking  and  directing  is  done  by  another  bunch  of 
cells  which  we  call  the  brain.  The  two  things  are  neces- 
sary in  an  intelligent  animal,  the  brain  and  the  senses, 
that  is,  the  thinkers  or  the  brain  cells,  and  the  senses  or 
the  cells  engaged  in,  or  in  charge  of  the  instruments  for 
receiving  and  transmitting  information  regarding  condi- 
tions existing  in  the  world  outside  of  the  body. 

There  must  always  be  the  thinkers  and  the  transmitters 
of  information  to  the  thinkers.  We  shall  see,  however, 
later,  that  the  individuals  who  have  charge  of  the  receiv- 
ing and  transmitting  of  information  are  and  must  neces- 
sarily be  intelligent  beings  as  well  as  thinkers.  It  re- 
quires intelligence  to  execute  orders  received  as  well  as 
to  give  the  orders. 

It  is  a  peculiar  trait  of  the  human  being  to  consider 
every  one  who  does  not  agree  with  him  in  his  ideas  of 
any  civil,  political  or  religious  belief,  foolish,  ignorant  and 
not  intelligent.  We  look  upon  the  savage  as  being  infe- 
rior to  us  in  mental  capacity,  when  in  fact  investigations 
lately  have  disclosed  the  fact  that  he  is  just  as  intelligent 
in  his  occupation  as  any  civilized  man.  I  quote  from  the 
Scientific  Journal  the  following: 

"Civilized  man  has  so  long  scorned  the  savage  races  as 


WHAT  IS  INTELLIGENCE?  175 

mentally  inferior,  that  it  will  be  hard  for  him  to  become 
accustomed  to  the  idea  that  even  the  repulsive  Fiji  Is- 
lander is  his  equal  in  intelligence. 

Yet  this  is  exactly  what  is  being  found  to  be  a  scientific 
fact,  and  the  world  must  accept  it  if  we  are  to  have  any 
success  in  civilizing  the  lower  races. 

According  to  this  revolutionary  idea  the  difference  be- 
tween us  and  the  savages  is  not  one  ot  mental  capacity, 
but  rather  of  the  objects  upon  which  that  capacity  is  ex- 
erted. 

A  man  may,  for  example,  display  just  as  much  intelli- 
gence in  tracking  a  kangaroo  through  the  bush  as  in  solv- 
ing a  problem  in  higher  mathematics. 

What  makes  the  savage  a  savage  is  not  the  lack  of  in- 
telligence, but  the  fact  that  his  intelligence  is  exerted 
largely  upon  foolish  superstitions.  The  contents  of  his 
brain  differs  from  ours  in  kind,  rather  than  breadth  and 
depth. 

"Dr.  Alfred  G.  Mayer,  of  the  Carnegie  Institution, 
found  some  interesting  evidence  to  support  these  argu- 
ments among  the  Fiji  Islanders,  who  are  the  lowest,  most 
cruel  and  most  repulsive  of  primitive  savages. 

I  remember  how  my  parents  used  to  consider  the  Cath- 
olics a  very  ignorant  and  uneducated  lot  of  people,  and 
the  free  thinkers,  as  we  called  them,  the  most  ignorant  of 
all,  and  also  dangerous  to  associate  with. 

As  I  came  to  maturity,  I  soon  noticed  that  it  was  only 
a  matter  of  opinion  and  that  one  was  about  as  smart  as 
the  other. 

My  father,  who  read  only  republican  papers,  was  a  re- 
publican, while  my  brother  and  I  happened  to  read 
some  democratic  literature  and  we  turned  out  to  be  demo- 
crats for  a  while,  but  later  saw  that  it  was  all  a  matter 
of  politics.  Whether  any  person  is  really  sane,  is  a  ques- 


176    CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

tion;  sometimes  it  looks  to  me  as  if  we  all  were  walking 
along  the  borderland  of  insanity,  hysteria,  dementia, 
idiocy  and  imbecility,  for  most  of  us  seem  to  be  afflicted 
with  a  mental  weakness  of  some  kind. 

I  believe  that  the  cause  of  mental  weakness  in  man 
arises  from  over  development  of  the  mental  faculty,  the 
brain.  It  becomes  too  complicated  and  the  wires  get 
crossed.  Consider  all  the  religious  beliefs ;  the  foolish 
patent  medicine  schemes,  faith  cures,  get  rich  quick,  spirit- 
ualist and  other  superstitious  nonsense,  which  rope  in 
people.  Consider  how  the  asylums  are  being  filled  with 
the  insane  of  all  kinds,  people  morally  insane,  intellect- 
ually insane,  as  monomania,  people  afflicted  with  com- 
mon mania  or  raving  madness,  dementia,  imbecility  and 
idiocy.  Very  few  human  beings  are  capable  of  reasoning, 
as  we  understand  reason. 

Think  of  the  superstitions  of  the  past  centuries,  the 
burning  of  the  witches,  etc.  The  following  article  from 
a  newspaper  is  significant  of  the  prevailing  condition  of 
the  human  mental  machinery :  "The  next  time  you  are 
inclined  to  scoff  at  any  person  for  indulging  in  'supersti- 
tious' beliefs  and  practices,  just  stop  a  minute  and  con- 
sider whether  you  are  not  in  some  degree  superstitious 
yourself.  If  you  make  an  honest  self-examination  I  have 
not  the  slightest  doubt  that  you  will  be  more  charitably 
disposed  toward  the  'poor  fool'  whose  belief  in  ghosts, 
witchcraft  or  charms  you  were  about  to  ridicule. 

"Not  long  ago  there  was  a  notable  trial  in  Boston  of  a 
man  accused  of  selling  'lucky  stones.'  In  the  course  of 
his  trial,  which  ended  in  a  conviction  and  jail  sentence,  it 
developed  that  for  several  years  he  had  done  an  enormous 
business  in  these  magic  gems.  His  patrons,  who  annually 
numbered  up  in  the  thousands,  were  by  no  means  confined 
to  the  ignorant  and  the  uneducated.  It  was  found  that 


WHAT   IS   INTELLIGENCE?  177 

men  and  women  of  prominence,  people  of  real  intellectual 
power,  had  contributed  to  swell  his  profits,  and  some  of 
these  people  had  even  sent  him  letters  testifying-  to  the 
'good  luck'  which  his  'lucky  stones'  had  brought  them. 
Personal  observation  and  research  have  indeed  satisfied 
me  that  education  is  as  yet  far  from  being  an  absolute 
antidote  for  superstition. 

"I  once  closely  questioned  a  number  of  Harvard  univer- 
sity professors  and  instructors  to  ascertain  their  freedom 
from,  or  indulgence  in,  superstitious  customs.  I  found 
that,  with  only  two  exceptions,  every  one  of  the  highly 
educated  men  whom  I  questioned  confessed  to  having 
some  pet  superstition.  Several  had  the  habit  of  'knock- 
ing on  wood'  to  avert  misfortune  after  a  boastful  remark. 
Others  could  not  pass  a  pin  without  picking  it  up.  Others 
believed  it  bad  luck  to  go  under  a  ladder.  One  eminent 
historian,  seemingly  as  matter-of-fact  and  hard-headed  a 
man  as  could  be  met  anywhere,  confided  to  me  that  he  felt 
quite  uneasy  unless  he  was  standing  in  a  certain  position 
when  he  caught  his  first  glimpse  of  the  new  moon.  Other 
investigators — notably  Prof.  Dressier,  who  conducted  an 
extensive  census  of  superstitions  in  California — have 
found  the  same  state  of  affairs.  It  would  seem  that,  no 
matter  how  well  educated  a  man  may  be,  he  usually  has 
in  him  a  'superstitious  streak.'  " 

This  indicates  prevailing  conditions,  how  the  brain  cells 
of  the  human  being  are  limited  in  their  capacity  to  com- 
prehend matters  rightly.  There  is  no  question  about  it 
in  my  mind,  that  the  cause  of  the  mental  weakness  in 
man  is  the  abnormal  development  of  the  brain.  We  find 
very  little,  if  any,  insanity  among  animals.  They  pursue 
their  line  of  work  with  the  keenest  intelligence  as  far  as 
pertains  to  their  business  in  life. 

I  did  considerable  trapping  and  hunting  in  my  younger 


178     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

days,  and  have  watched  the  musk  rats  construct  their 
houses  for  the  winter  in  the  marshes ;  and  it  is  a  wonder- 
ful work,  when  you  take  all  the  conditions  into  considera- 
tion. The  following  is  an  article  which  I  cut  from  a  mag- 
azine today  concerning  the  beaver: 

"That  the  beaver  is  a  capable  engineer  from  his  own 
point  of  view,  and  an  indefatigable  worker  to  boot,  has 
been  impressed  upon  us  from  our  infancy  and  is  enshrined 
in  our  daily  speech.  Every  one  knows  what  'working  like 
a  beaver'  means.  But  few  of  us  have  realized  that  the 
beaver's  engineering  feats  are  of  benefit  to  us  as  well  as 
to  himself.  The  beaver  'works  for  the  nation,'  as  Harvey 
Ferguson  put  it  in  an  article  contributed  to  The  Technical 
World  Magazine  (Chicago,  July).  'He  is  one  of  the  most 
useful  irrigation  engineers  we1  have,'  for  he  builds  dams ; 
not  very  big  ones,  but  a  great  many  small  dams  will  im- 
pound as  much  water  as  one  large  one.  His  work  is  now 
considered  so  valuable,  Mr.  Ferguson  tells  us,  that  he  is 
to  receive  special  government  protection.  We  read : 
"The  beaver  is  solving  one  of  the  problems  which  has 
proved  most  vexing  to  engineers  since  irrigation  became 
prominent  in  the  West.  That  is  the  problem  of  water- 
supply;  for  while  engineers,  can  construct  dams  and 
ditches,  they  usually  must  rely  upon  nature  to  furnish  the 
water  for  the  project.  And  that  is  where  the  beaver  helps 
— he  sees  to  it  that  the  supply  of  water  is  maintained. 

"The  beaver  does  not  intend,  perhaps,  to  do  all  this ; 
he  is  simply  interested  in  securing  a  lake  in  which  to  live. 
But  while  he  serves  his  own  ends,  up  in  the  mountains,  he 
also  impounds  enough  water  to  insure  a  constant  supply 
for  irrigation-projects,  and  that  is  why  he  has  won  gov- 
ernmental favor.  Officers  of  the  Forest  Service,  who  are 
doing  all  in  their  power  to  protect  the  beavers,  and  scien- 
tists of  the  Geological  Survey,  who  have  studied  the  work 


WHAT  IS  INTELLIGENCE?  179 

of  the  animals,  say  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  these  beaver 
lakes  will  be  of  great  practical  value." 

The  brain  cells  of  the  animals  are  not  so  numerous  as 
they  are  in  the  human  being.  They  are  more  simple  and 
not  likely  to  get  mixed  up  with  each  other's  business. 

We  pass  through  life  without  taking  any  notice  of  the 
keen  intelligence  displayed  by  the  birds  and  animals,  as 
far  as  it  pertains  to  their  life.  You  all  remember  how  the 
prairie  plover  and  the  prairie  chicken  and  partridge  will 
act  when  you  approach  them  on  their  nest.  They  will 
first  sneak  off  to  one  side  of  the  nest  as  far  as  possible, 
then  pretend  they  are  wounded,  as  if  they  had  a  broken 
leg  or  wing.  It  fooled  me  at  first  to  such  an  extent  that 
I  did  not  find  their  nest  when  I  went  back  to  look  for  it, 
as  I  followed  them  too  far  before  I  got  wise  to  their  trick. 
I  noticed  that  my  dog  did  not  get  wise,  as  he  would  chase 
them  every  time  as  far  as  he  could.  The  manner  in  which 
they  will  simulate  a  broken  wing  or  leg  is  certainly  per- 
fect. Sometimes  one  wing  will  hang  down  loose  to  one 
side  just  as  if  it  were  dead.  You  never  hear  any  one  men- 
tion this  common  trick  practiced  by  birds  to  fool  other 
animals.  A  trick  is  described  in  the  following  article 
which  I  read  the  other  day,  which  is  identically  the  same 
trick  as  practiced  by  the  birds  : 

"Two  boys,  one  the  possessor  of  a  permit,  were  fishing 
on  a  certain  estate  when  a  gamekeeper  suddenly  darted 
from  a  thicket.  The  lad  with  the  permit  uttered  a  cry  of 
fright,  dropped  his  rod  and  ran  off  at  top  speed.  The 
gamekeeper  was  led  a  swift  chase.  Then,  worn  out,  the 
boy  halted.  The  man  seized  him  by  the  arm  and  said  be- 
tween pants : 

"Have  you  a  permit  to  fish  on  this  estate?" 

"Yes,  to  be  sure,"  said  the  boy  quietly. 

"You  have?    Then  show  it  to  me." 


180     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

The  boy  drew  the  permit  from  his  pocket.  The  man 
examined  it  and  frowned  in  perplexity  and  anger. 

"Why  did  you  run  when  you  had  this  permit?"  he 
asked. 

"To  let  the  other  boy  get  away,"  was  the  reply.  "He 
didn't  have  none." 

The  human  mind  like  the  animal  mind  is  the  united 
action  of  the  brain  cells.  In  the  human  brain  they  number 
several  hundred  million.  It  is  the  impression  and  infor- 
mation received  by  these  cells  and  stored  away  for  future 
reference  which  make  up  the  human  mind.  This  power 
and  ability  of  the  brain  cells  and  all  other  cells  to  store 
away  information '  for  future  use  we  call  memory,  and 
upon  this  power  all  reason  and  judgment  is  based.  With- 
out memory  there  could  be  no  judgment  or  reason,  as  we 
understand  these  words.  We  shall  see  later  that  all  the 
cells  of  the  body  have  the  power  of  memory. 

It  is  now  being  recognized  that  many  lower  animals 
and  birds  have  keener  senses  than  man,  such  as  smell, 
hearing  and  sight.  I  can  remember  from  experience  in 
hunting  geese  from  pits,  that  their  sense  of  sight  was 
considerably  better  than  mine.  The  following  also  seems 
to  indicate  that  the  sense  of  hearing  is  keener  in  birds 
than  in  man : 

"British  journals  have  commented  on  the  strange  dis- 
turbance among  the  pheasants  in  northeastern  England 
while  the  naval  battle  in  the  North  Sea  was  in  progress 
on  January  24.  The  sound  of  the  cannon  could  not  be 
heard  in  many  places  along  the  English  coast,  but  it  is 
evident  that  the  birds  heard  it  and  were  greatly  agitated 
by  it.  This  is  another  interesting  proof  of  the  fact  that 
keen  as  are  the  senses  of  men,  those  of  many  of  the  lower 
animals  are  much  keener. 

"The  human  ear  can  not  hear  sounds  that  are  produced 


WHAT   IS   INTELLIGENCE?  181 

by  sound-waves  faster  than  about  20,000  to  28,000  to  the 
second.  The  ant,  as  has  been  demonstrated,  can  hear 
sounds  produced  by  a  higher  vibration,  and  for  aught  we 
know  animals  of  higher  organism  than  insects  have  as 
keen  ears.  They  have  a  great  advantage  over  us.  And  if 
they  have  sharper  ears  they  also  have  better  eyes  and 
noses." 

Now,  whether  or  not  their  judgment  or  reasoning  abil- 
ity is  any  better,  will  be  hard  to  tell.  The  sense  organs 
are  the  instruments  constructed  by  the  cells  for  specific 
purposes,  each  for  a  specific  purpose,  the  eye  to  take  and 
convey  to  the  brain  cells  pictures  of  the  surroundings ; 
the  ear  to  take  vibrations  from  the  air  and  convey  them  in 
the  same  manner;  the  nose  to  catch  particles  of  matter 
floating  in  the  air,  analyze  them  chemically,  and  transmit 
results  of  the  analysis  to  the  brain  cells.  It  would  appear 
that  the  cells  of  one  animal  are  about  of  the  same  intel- 
lectual capacity  as  those  of  another.  The  reason  that  the 
cells  of  the  dog  are  able  to  produce  a  better  smelling  ap- 
paratus is  because  they  make  smelling  a  business  spe- 
cialty. The  effort  is  concentrated  upon  that  point  and  his 
eye  and  ear  are  very  inferior  to  that  of  the  bird.  Again 
you  would  not  say  that  the  bird  is  more  intelligent  than 
the  dog,  because  it  has  better  eyes  and  ears,  nor  would 
you  say  that  a  dog  or  a  bird  is  more  intelligent  than  a 
human  being,  even  if  it  has  better  eyes,  ears  and  nose. 
Still  you  would  have  to  admit  that  dogs  and  birds  act 
with  as  much  intelligence  in  their  place  in  life  as  the  aver- 
age man. 

We  now  come  to  another  intelligence  called  instinct, 
impulse  and  emotion.  Most  of  the  writers  on  psychology 
do  not  allow  for  animals  any  power  to  reason,  but  claim 
that  animals  are  simply  automatons,  that  they  act  from 
what  they  call  instinct.  They  claim  that  the  acts  of  all 


182     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 

animals  are  instinctive,  emotional  and  impulsive  and  are 
not  caused  by  intelligence  and  reason. 

As  man  is  an  animal  and  performs  as  marty  instinctive 
acts  as  any  other  animal,  we  can  easily  clear  up  some  of 
the  mysteries. 

We  will  take  the  mating  instinct,  to  begin  with.  Every 
one  is  well  acquainted  with  the  male  desire  for  the  exclu- 
sive possession  of  a  certain  female.  This  desire  comes 
on  at  about  seventeen  or  eighteen  years  of  age.  Before 
that  time  he  had  not  the  slightest  desire  for  the  possession 
of,  nor  even  the  company  of  females,  he  preferred  rather, 
the  company  of  the  male  sex.  At  this  age  also  peculiar 
masculine  features  appear,  such  as  the  beard,  extra  mas- 
culine developments  and  change  of  voice.  This  change 
also  takes  place  in  other  animals.  From  whence  comes 
this  desire? 

Nothing  in  the  world  seems  more  perfect  in  form,  sweet 
in  disposition,  and  beautiful  of  face  than  this  particular 
female,  to  which  he  happens  to  take  a  fancy.  Heaven  on 
earth  seems  to  be  in  sight,  by  obtaining  possession  of  her. 

Now  who  and  where  are  the  parties  who  seem  to  be 
continually  arguing  this  proposition  to  him?  He  seems 
to  believe  and  feels  fully  convinced  of  these  facts,  so  much 
so  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  demonstrate  or  prove 
to  him  anything  to  the  contrary.  We  know  now  that  the 
beings  who  are  responsible  for  these  opinions  and  ac- 
tions are  the  cells  who  have  the  matter  in  charge  of 
building  a  new  human  being.  These  cells  of  the  body 
who  have  in  charge  the  work  of  perpetuating  themselves 
and  the  human  race,  which  is  after  all  the  most  important 
work  of  all,  are  called  sex  organs.  We  know  now  if 
these  are  removed,  no  desire  for  the  female  will  arise. 

What  method  do  these  cells  of  the  sex  organs  e'mploy  to 
make  him(the  brain  cells)  feel  and  believe  that  to  marry  a 


WHAT  IS   INTELLIGENCE?  183 

certain  female  is  the  only  right  and  proper  thing  to  do? 
These  cells  in  control  of  the  perpetuation  of  the  race  take 
possession  of  the  entire  body  and  compel  it  to  act  in  a  cer- 
tain way.  They  get  control  of  the  mind,  that  is  of  the 
brain  cells,  and  in  that  way  get  control  of  the  entire  body. 
These  actions  of  the  sex  cells  or  nerve  centers  of  the 
body,  directing  our  actions,  are  called  the  mating  instinct 
or  instinctive  acts.  There  are  a  great  number  of  these 
nerve  centers  in  the  body,  which  give  the  body  a  large 
number  of  instincts  or  instinctive  actions.  It  is  the  same 
in  man  as  it  is  iii  animals.  They  all  have  their  instinctive 
acts.  These  acts  are  performed  with  the  will  of  the 
brain  cells,  but  the  will  does  not  originate  in  those  cells. 
At  the  very  beginning  of  the  construction  of  the  human 
individual,  these  cells  are  set  apart  and  placed  in  charge 
of  the  matter  of  the  building  of  a  new  individual  and  the 
perpetuation  of  the  race.  These  cells  are  to  attend  to 
nothing  else.  As  an  illustration  take  a  submarine  boat. 
The  submarine  is  an  individual.  We  determine  from  the 
actions  of  the  submarine  whether  it  is  or  is  not  an  intelli- 
gent individual  or  being.  The  submarine  can  only  act 
according  to  the  will  of  the  people  in  charge.  The  same 
is  true  of  man  or  an  animal.  It  can  only  act  as  directed 
by  the  beings  in  charge,  which  we  call  cells.  The  builders 
of  the  submarine,  if  they  should  want  the  existence  of  it 
perpetuated,  would  do  the  same  thing  as  the  builder  of 
the  human  being.  They  would  leave  the  whole  matter 
to  a  special  committee  to  take  charge  of  that  entire  matter, 
and  to  look  after  that  and  nothing  else.  This  we  find  to 
be  exactly  what  takes  place  in  man.  The  intelligence  of 
the  boat  or  submarine  is  the  combined  intelligence  of  all 
the  individuals  of  which  it  is  comprised  and  which  have 
it  in  charge.  The  same  with  the  human  being,  animal  or 
plant.  The  intelligence  of  the  plant  or  animal  will  be  the 


184     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

combined  acts  or  intelligence  of  the  entire  community, 
which  we  call  the  individual  or  animal. 

Now  we  shall  take  up  some  of  the  different  and  special 
work  taken  care  of  by  special  committees  or  nerve  cen- 
ters who  have  been  assigned  to  look  after  it,  such  as 
breathing,  circulation,  digestion,  etc.  Prof.  Harris,  after 
describing  the  brain,  makes  this  statement : 

"Here  are  situated  many  of  the  most  important  nerve- 
centers,  or  collections  of  nerve-cells,  superintending  such 
bodily  activities  as  breathing,  the  heart's  action,  the  regu- 
lation of  the  size  of  the  blood-vessels,  perspiration,  the 
flow  of  saliva,  the  flow  of  gastric  juice,  the  chewing  of 
food,  swallowing,  voice-production,  and  the  act  of  vomit- 
ing; and  there  are  other  centers  still. 

"In  a  later  chapter  we  shall  discover  what  a  center  is 
and  what  it  does.  Higher  up  the  brain  stem  are  centers 
for  facial  expression,  eye  movement,  iris  (pupil)  move- 
ments, focussing  of  near  objects  and  the  secretion  of 
tears.  In  the  brain  proper  cerebral  cortex  are  centres  or 
areas  underlying  such  states  of  consciousness  as  sensa- 
tion, perception,  memory,  and  emotion,  besides  speech 
and  voluntary  movement." 

This  is  a  plain  statement  of  the  facts,  how  collections 
of  cells  have  been  placed  in  charge  here  and  there  all 
through  the  body  to  superintend  this  and  that  particular 
work.  These  cells  or  collections  of  nerve  cells  are  called 
little  brain  or  nerve  centres.  We  have  the  same  condi- 
tions of  affairs  in  other  large  organizations  of  individuals, 
such  as  a  battleship,  German  army  or  telegraph  system. 

The  spinal  cord  is  comprised  of  a  great  number  of  such 
nerve  centres.  Prof.  Harris  states :  "The  spinal  cord  is, 
however,  something  more  than  a  conductor  or  transmitter 
of  impulses ;  it  is  also  a  collection  of  centres  in  series  from 
above  downwards.  Nerves  enter  the  cord  and  nerves 


WHAT  IS   INTELLIGENCE?  185 

leave  it  at  certain  levels  all  the  way  down.  The  ingoing 
nerve  and  the  outgoing  nerve  are  anatomically  and 
functionally  linked  in  the  interior  of  the  cord ;  this  place 
is  called  centre.  A  centre  on  its  structural  side  consists 
of  at  least  one  cell  on  or  over  which  the  ending  of  a  nerve 
fibre  is  distributed ;  usually,  of  course,  many  cells  go  to 
make  up  a  single  centre." 

Then  he  makes  the  following  statement:  "But  what, 
in  a  few  words,  is  the  nervous  system  for?  It  is  first  of 
all  for  carrying  out  certain  activities,  such  as  breathing, 
on  a  sub-conscious  plane,  over  which  the  constant  super- 
vision of  consciousness  would  be  tedious,  if  it  were  not 
impossible,  considering  the  enormous  number  of  demands 
made  on  the  attention  of  the  individual.  It  is  in  the  next 
place  for  carrying  out  certain  activities  with  the  greatest 
possible  speed  compatible  with  the  greatest  possible  ac- 
curacy ;  it  is  for  linking  up  functionally  the  outer  world 
with  our  living  bodies,  allowing  it  to  act  on  our  bodies 
within  certain  limits,  and  reversely  acting  itself  on  the 
outer  world,  when  and  to  what  extent  may  be  found  nec- 
essary. It  is  for  maintaining  our  posture  in  stable  equili- 
brium, whether  we  are  sitting,  standing  or  walking,  much 
of  this  it  also  does  on  the  sub-conscious  plane,  the  cere- 
bellum being  the  great  central  organ  for  attending  to  this 
important  but  not  necessarily  always  conscious  affair. 

"The  element  of  speed  is  a  very  obvious  one  in  the  ac- 
tivities of  the  nerves ;  it  is  of  supreme  moment  that  you 
drop  the  red-hot  coal  as  soon  as  you  possibly  can,  that  you 
wink  away  the  grit  in  the  eye  almost  the  instant  it  alights. 
It  is  of  great  importance  to  the  artilleryman  to  fire  off  his 
gun  the  instant  he  gets  the  order  from  the  officer  to  do  so, 
a  fraction  of  a  second's  delay  may  mean  that  he  misses  the 
target.  It  is  because  the  nervous  system  of  the  active 
young  man  works  promptly  that  he  skips  out  of  the  way 
of  the  motor  car,  whereas  the  old  gentleman  with  his 


186     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

much  more  slowly  acting  one  may  be  run  over.  If  you 
are  too  slow  at  taking  the  'service'  at  tennis,  you  will  miss 
the  ball.  But  the  nervous  system  attends  to  other  matters 
than  mere  speed ;  it  cares  for  accuracy  too.  Thus  at  ten- 
nis not  only  must  I  strike  the  ball  at  the  right  instant,  but 
at  the  proper  spot  of  my  racket,  not  the  handle,  not  the 
wood.  The  muscular  adjustments  necessary  to  bring  the 
center  of  the  racket  in  contact  with  the  flying  ball  are  car- 
ried out  by  co-ordination.  A  large  number  of  muscular 
activities  have  to  be  co-ordinated  to  bring  about  any  de- 
sired activity;  many,  perhaps  widely  separated,  muscular 
groups  have  to  be  brought  into  simultaneous  contraction, 
while  other  muscular  groups  require  to  have  their  activi- 
ties restrained.  All  games  of  skill,  for  instance,  billiards, 
gymnastics  up  to  trapeze  displays,  and  tight-rope  walk- 
ing, involve  this  co-ordination.  The  nervous  system  is 
the  essential  in  co-ordination,  whether  it  be  in  the  baker's 
boy  balancing  his  bread-board  on  his  head,  or  in  Cinque- 
valli  balancing  two  billiard  balls  on  the  top  of  a  cue  on  the 
end  of  his  nose.  Supreme  accuracy  of  muscular  adjust- 
ment it  is  that  underlies  all  these  different  performances, 
but  in  smaller  degrees  we  all  employ  it,  as  we  are 
bound  to  do.  We  co-ordinate  our  muscles  to  step  out  of 
a  carriage  on  to  the  ground,  to  ride  on  horseback,  to  ride 
a  bicycle,  to  steer  a  motor  car,  to  use  a  typewriting  ma- 
chine, and  so  on. 

"Besides  accuracy  of  adjustment  there  is  the  element 
of  the  precise  amount  of  force  to  put  into  the  muscles. 
This  putting  forth  the  exact  amount  of  force — neither  too 
much  or  too  little,  means  the  exact  or  right  measure  (of 
force).  Thus  not  only  must  the  tennis  ball  be  struck  at 
the  right  instant  with  the  right  spot  of  the  racket,  but  it 
must  be  struck  with  the  proper  amount  of  force  in  order 
to  be  returned  'within  court.' 

"The  nervous  system  as  a  rule  learns  by  slow  and  pain- 


WHAT  IS  INTELLIGENCE?  187 

ful  experience.  We  must  use  the  exact  amount  of  force 
in  order  to  accomplish  any  result  with  accuracy.  In  or- 
dinary walking  we  learn  to  put  forth  exactly  the  neces- 
sary amount  of  energy,  neither  stamping  heavily  on  the 
pavement  nor  putting  down  our  feet  so  feebly  that  we 
would  make  no  progress  at  all.  *  *  * 

"But  it  -is  very  clear  that  all  this  precision,  co-ordina- 
tion, and  expenditure  of  the  correct  degree  of  muscular 
energy  is  only  possible  in  proportion  as  the  muscular  and 
other  senses  are  properly  trained.  *  *  * 

"We  see,  then,  that  the  nervous  system  puts  us  into 
communication  with  the  outer  world  and  its  inhabitants 
which  act  on  us,  enables  us  with  speed,  accuracy  and  the 
correct  amount  of  force  to  react  upon  it,  and  then  it  makes 
us  aware  of  our  own  bodily  position  to  the  changing  states 
of  the  environment.  In  our  nervous  system  we  store 
memories  of  what  has  happened,  we  register  experience 
for  the  future,  we  communicate  as  we  will  with  our  fel- 
low beings  and,  maintaining  our  self-conscious  identity, 
we  continue  our  conscious  connection  with  the  past. 
Nerves  and  the  nervous  system  not  only  protect  the  in- 
dividual from  injury,  enabling  him  to  seek  food,  avoid  or 
overcome  enemies ;  but  they  are  constantly  handing  over 
some  activity  or  other  from  the  conscious  to  the  subcon- 
scious realm.  We  educate  the  nervous  system  labori- 
ously to  perform  certain  actions,  conscious  attention  be- 
ing very  much  concerned  in  it.  The  acquisitions  are  rele- 
gated to  the  unconscious  or  at  least  subconscious  realm 
and  are  at  last  carried  on  without  the  interposition  of  at- 
tention at  all.  There  is  a  very  great  saving  of  nerve  en- 
ergy here ;  things  so  done  are  called  habits.  Such  co- 
ordinated activities  as  the  maintenance  of  posture  in  walk- 
ing are,  in  this  way,  carried  on  below  the  conscious  level, 
so  that  as  we  walk  alone  we  can  be  engaged  in  solving  a 


188     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

problem,  or  if  with  a  friend  we  can  carry  on  conversation 
without  having  to  give  any  attention  to  the  movements 
of  the  limbs.  Even  talking  can  become  an  automatic  af- 
fair of  this  kind,  as  when  we  recite  a  poem  without  think- 
ing of  each  word,  and  what  comes  after  it,  as  we  had  to  do 
when  we  learnt  it  originally.  Habit  is  the  popular  word 
for  all  these  activities  which  may  or  may  not  have  been 
originally  learned,  but  which  are  now  all  relegated  to  the 
subconscious  sphere.  'Instinct'  is  the  popular  term  for 
habit  as  found  congenitally  present.  We  say  that  a  child 
knows  how  to  suck  by  instinct ;  certainly  it  is  not  by  con- 
sciousness, for  children  without  brains  at  all  (acephalic 
monsters)  can  suck  perfectly.  The  child  inherits  the 
capability  of  carrying  out  the  co-ordinated  movements  of 
sucking;  it  does  not  require  to  learn  these,  they  are  poten- 
tially present  in  its  nervous  system.  We  shall  later  see 
that  this  sort  of  thing  is  only  an  example  of  a  certain  kind 
of  reflex  action. 

"One  of  the  best  illustrations  of  how  the  nerves  work 
is  the  one  so  often  given,  the  telephone  exchange.  What 
is  a  telephone  exchange  for?  To  put  two  people  into 
(verbal)  communication  with  each  other." 

This  statement  will  illustrate  what  we  mean  by  a  nerve 
centre.  It  is  as  Prof.  Harris  states,  a  collection  of  cells, 
set  apart  f.or  superintending,  looking  after  or  having  to  do 
with  a  particular  function  or  activity  of  the  body.  We 
have  collections  of  cells  looking  after  breathing,  if  we  de- 
stroy them  the  breathing  stops.  To  illustrate, — if  the 
continual  pumping  of  air  into  the  submarine  was  neces- 
sary to  the  lives  of  its  inhabitants,  the  same  as  it  is  in  the 
animal,  a  number  of  individuals  would  be  placed  in  charge 
cf  that  work,  and  if  those  individuals  were  killed,  the 
pumping  of  air  into  the  submarine  would  stop  and  the 
submarine  would  be  killed — all  life  in  the  submarine 


WHAT   IS   INTELLIGENCE?  189 

would  be  destroyed  for  want  of  air.  In  the  same  way 
want  of  air  destroys  all  life  in  the  animal. 

Our  consciousness  is  the  cells  or  individuals  con- 
nected with  the  senses  of  sight,  hearing  and  smell.  We 
can  see  that  in  the  submarine  as  in  the  human  being.  It 
should  not  be  necessary  that  the  cells  of  those  special  or- 
gans should  be  bothered  with  this  special  work  of  breath- 
ing or  the  pumping  of  air  into  the  submarine ;  those  in 
charge  should  know  that  to  stop  or  neglect  the  work  will 
mean  the  utter  destruction  of  themselves  and  the  entire 
individual. 

Understand,  now,  that  the  nerve  cells  are  not  the  cells 
that  do  the  work,  the  muscles  are  the  workers  or  laborers. 
The  nerve  cells  are  those  in  command.  They  are  to 
keep  the  workers  informed  at  all  times,  not  only  when  to 
pump  air,  but  how  best  to  pump.  Now  you  can  clearly 
see  that  it  requires  just  as  much  conscious  intelligence  to 
look  after  this  pumping  work  as  any  other  work.  There 
must  be  a  conscious  intelligence  in  charge  of  any  special 
important  undertaking  like  this.  Every  collection  of  cells 
we  call  a  nerve  centre  or  little  brain  must  be  a  sort  of  con- 
scious intelligence.  It  must  be  conscious  of  its  work 
in  hand,  in  the  same  manner  as  we  are. 

The  following  statement  by  Prof.  Harris  illustrates 
how  information  from  the  world  outside  of  the  body  is 
taken  and  transmitted  to  the  cells  within  occupied  with 
nothing  but  thinking,  such  as  the  brain  cells,  and  how 
they  may  handle  the  information,  and  send  out  orders  to 
certain  special  nerve  centres,  whose  business  it  may  be  to 
take  charge  of  this  particular  matter  in  hand.  He  says : 

"Centres  are,  of  course,  not  only  executive ;  we  have 
centres  for  the  reception  of  impulses,  whether  these 
arouse  consciousness  or  not.  Thus  we  have  centres  for 
seeing,  hearing,  touching,  smelling,  tasting,  and  so  on. 


190  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

These  sensory  centres  are  highly  specialized  portions  of 
the  brain  in  which  impulses  from  the  end-organs  of  sense 
are  received  and  are  usually  worked  up  in  consciousness 
into  the  perception  of  an  object,  a  sound,  a  thing  in  con- 
tact with  the  skin,  a  smell  or  a  taste.  These  centres  are 
specialized  to  receive,  as  the  others  are  specialized  to 
emit.  But  it  is  quite  clear  that  no  centre  can  emit  and 
never  receive.  A  sensory  centre,  in  the  first  instance,  re- 
ceives and  may  for  a  time  retain,  but  sooner  or  later  it 
transmits  impulses  either  to  an  executive  centre  or  to 
another  sensory  centre.  Thus  when  I  see  an  apple, 
impulses  not  only  pass  to  the  centre  for  vision,  but  on- 
ward to  the  centre  for  taste,  and  from  both  these,  impulses 
can  go  over  to  the  motor  cells  in  the  middle  part  of  the 
cerebrum,  whence  volitional  impulses  descend  to  the 
muscles  of  the  hand  prepared  to  seize  the  fruit.  That 
this  is  the  physical  basis  for  the  association  of  ideas 
there  is  little  doubt." 

To  illustrate  with  a  submarine,  the  end  of  the  peri- 
scope of  the  submarine,  which  is  the  same  as  the  eye  of 
an  animal,  discovers  a  British  ship  in  the  distance,  and 
gives  orders  which  will  cause  actions  to  take  place,  like 
firing  up  the  boilers,  putting  on  more  speed,  twisting  of 
the  rudders,  etc.  One  activity  will  lead  to  another.  Now 
we  shall  give  illustrations  of  the  actions  in  case 'of  some 
local  trouble  or  disturbance.  Prof.  Harris  states :  "We 
get  some  grit  into  our  eyes,  and  in  consequence  there  is  a 
great  outpouring  of  tears.  We  are  not  weeping,  there  is 
no  emotion  calling  forth  tears,  idle  or  otherwise,  and  we 
have  certainly  not  willed  tears  to  flow.  The  lachrymal 
glands  have  been  reflexly  stimulated  to  secrete.  Clearly 
there  must  be  accessible  to  incoming  stimulation  some 
specialized  portion  of  the  central  nervous  system,  which 
is  set  apart  for  inducing  secretion  in  the  tear  glands,  just 


WHAT  IS   INTELLIGENCE?  191 

as  we  saw  there  was  a  similar  region  for  the  salivary 
glands.  Such  a  specialized  portion  of  the  grey  matter  of 
the  central  nervous  system  is  a  center,  in  this  case." 

Now  it  is  plain  that  if  some  gravel  or  other  substance 
should  get  over  the  end  of  the  periscope  so  as  to  interfere 
with  the  entrance  of  the  light  or  getting  a  good  clear  view 
of  the  outside  surroundings,  it  would  be  the  business  of 
the  party  in  charge  of  that  end  of  the  periscope  to  remove 
the  obstruction.  Although  it  would  annoy  and  irritate 
the  parties  at  the  other  end,  still  it  would  be  none  of  their 
business  to  remove  it,  in  fact  they  are  so  far  removed 
from  the  place  that  they  could  not  attend  to  it  if  they 
would. 

So  the  parties  in  charge  of  the  other  end  of  the  peri- 
scope take  care  of  the  trouble,  and  remove  the  grit  or 
obstruction  without  any  orders  from  any  one  higher  up. 
He  procures  water  and  washes  it  off  in  the  same  manner 
as  the  cells  cause  water  to  flow  over  the  eye,  with  the  pur- 
pose of  washing  away  the  grit.  Any  one  can  clearly  see 
that  every  nerve  centre,  whether  it  is  composed  of  one  cell 
or  a  thousand,  when  it  has  charge  of  any  special  matter 
like  this,  must  be  possessed  of  intelligence.  The  only 
purpose  of  these  nerve  centres  or  "little  brains,"  as  they 
are  sometimes  called,  is  to  receive  information  and  give 
orders  to  other  cells  who  work  under  them.  No  beings 
can  take  charge  of  the  activities  of  other  beings  and  guide 
their  actions  to  do  or  not  to  do  the  right  thing  at  the  right 
time,  unless  they  are  intelligent  beings.  It  requires  just 
as  much  intelligence  to  capture  a  fortification  as  to  give 
the  order  to  do  it.  To  sum  up  the  nerve  centre  question, 
I  shall  again  quote  Prof.  Harris  as  to  what  it  is,  and  how 
each  collection  of  cells  attends  to  its  own  business  and 
nothing  else.  He  says  : 

"A  centre  is  a  group  of  nerve-cells  so  constituted  that 


192     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

when  these  cells  are  stimulated  in  any  way  whatever,  only 
one  kind  of  activity,  some  special  activity,  is  the  result. 

A  discharging  centre  is  for  an  action,  it  presides  over  it ; 
when  stimulated^  that  action  occurs  more  intensely,  when 
inhibited  that  action  is  restrained  or  suppressed.  When 
the  centre  is  destroyed,  the  action  is  rendered  impossible. 
The  doctrine  of  centres  affirms  that  there  is  specialization 
throughout  the  nervous  system,  that  certain  cells  and 
these  alone  are  concerned  with  the  performance  of  a  par- 
ticular function,  that  if  that  group  be  destroyed  some  par- 
ticular activity  becomes  impossible.  If  this  functional 
specialization  did  not  exist,  then  any  one  cell-group  in  the 
central  nervous  system  could  act  vicariously  for  another, 
but  this  does  not  happen.  The  respiratory  centre  cannot 
act  for  the  sweating  centre,  nor  either  for  the  vomiting 
centre.  Just  as  a  gland  is  not  a  muscle  and  cannot  do 
a  muscle's  work,  so  the  centre  for  salivation  is  not  that 
for  the  flow  of  tears  and  cannot  do  its  work.  There  is,  in 
fact,  higher  specialization  in  the  nervous  system  than  else- 
where. One  neural  region  governs  the  muscles  of 
breathing,  another  the  diameter  of  arteries,  another  the 
glands  of  perspiration,  another  those  of  gastric  juice,  an- 
other the  act  of  vomiting,  while  still  others  are  the  places 
of  the  uprising  of  emotions,  volitions,  speech  or  memory. 

"The  central  nervous  system  is  not  a  neural  chaos  in 
which  the  units  are  unrelated  or  equivalent  existences, 
but  it  is  a  cosmos  in  which  the  functional  units  are  differ- 
ently endowed  and  are  related  to  each  other  after  the  man- 
ner of  a  hierarchy,  the  centres  being  arranged  on  several 
functional  planes.  Centres  are  co-ordinated  by  being  sub- 
ordinated some  to  others.  There  is  no  equality  of  func- 
tional position  as  there  is  no  equality  of  capabilities.  The 
nervous  system  knows  no  such  thing  as  socialism,  if  by 
that  is  meant  equality  of  position  and  powers.  But  in  the 


WHAT  IS   INTELLIGENCE?  193 

nervous  system  there  is  a  neural  society  in  which  there 
are  aristocrats  who  rule  and  give  orders,  and  servants 
who  serve  and  obey.  Higher  centres  control  but  do  not 
domineer  over  lower.  The  doctrine  of  a  neural  hierarchy 
is  one  of  the  most  luminous  in  modern  neurology." 

It  is  a  wonderful  thing  how  the  nerve  centres  take  care 

of  the  different  special  work  here  and  there  in  the  body, 

many  times  against  our  will — that  is  against  the  cells  of 

the  brain  connected  with  our  senses.    Such  acts  as  cough- 

^     ing  or  sneezing  in  church  we  would  like  to  stop,  but  the 

tickling  sensation   in  the  nose  or  throat  brings  on   the 

5      sneezing  or  coughing,  in  spite  of  our  wishes.     If  it  were 

V      not  so,  we  would  soon  get  in  more  serious  trouble,  when 

p      dangerous  germs  attack  the  membrane  of  the  throat  or 

V       nose. 

The  nerve  cells  who  have  charge  of  the  work  of  pre- 
venting dangerous  germs  entering  or  getting  lodged  in 
the  lungs  or  throat,  and  in  that  way  finally  getting  into 
the  blo<id  stream  and   probably  destroying    the   whole 
^      body,  are  continually  on  the  lookout  for  these  dangerous 
jj       enemies,  and  when  they  lodge  on  the  membrane  of  the 
[y     throat  or  nose,  in  the  act  of  breathing,  they  attempt  to 
\  expel  them  or  dislodge  them  by  first  secreting  and  envel- 
N      oping  them  in  a  sticky  fluid  and  then  blowing  them  out 
entangled  in  the  fluid,  by  the  act  of  sneezing  or  coughing. 
There  are  nerve  centres  who  have  charge  of  secreting  the 
K      sticky  fluid,  and  other  centres  in  charge  of  the  very  com- 
plicated, but  very  effective  muscular  act  of  coughing  and 
sneezing.    The  act  of  blinking  is  also  a  performance  at- 
>      tended  to  without  our  knowledge  or  attention.     Some- 
\^     times  certain  nerve  centres  will  be  made  active  by  causes 
"N^  unknown  to  us,  or  by  fear,  anger,  joy,  etc.,  and  cause  a 
'  person  to  act  in  a  different  manner.     The  nerve  centres 
in  charge  of  the  heart  sometimes  by  reason  of  fear  or 


194     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

anger,  will  cause  the  heart  to  beat  very  rapidly.  Nerve 
centres  in  some  parts  of  the  spine  or  brain  will  get  con- 
trol and  direct  the  activities  of  the  brain.  The  nerve  cen- 
tres in  charge  of  balancing,  walking,  etc.,  are  located  in 
the  spinal  cord.  These  acts  are  very  complicated  and  to 
be  able  to  direct  the  execution  by  the  muscles  of  the  very 
complicated  and  difficult  acts  with  speed  and  dexterity, 
certainly  requires  great  intelligence. 

The  nerve  centres  will  look  after  their  business  even 
if  the  animal's  head  is  cut  off.  For  instance,  a  dog  with 
his  head  cut  off  or  his  brain  removed  will  try  to  scratch 
the  place  on  his  shoulder  which  you  irritate  in  imitation  of 
a  flee  bite.  In  the  same  way  a  frog  with  his  head  cut 
off  will  scratch  away  from  his  body  a  piece  of  paper  with 
acid  on  it,  which  is  burning  the  skin. 

These  experiments  show  that  the  skin  cells  are  alive 
and  suffer  from  pain  just  the  same  after  the  head  is  cut 
off  as  before ;  that  the  nerve  centres,  whose  business  it 
is  to  order  and  direct  the  scratching,  take  charge  3nd  com- 
pel the  leg  to  scratch  the  irritation  or  pain  away  from  that 
particular  spot.  Now  this  is  very  conclusive  proof  that 
conscious  intelligence  exists  in  each  and  every  separate 
cell  of  the  body.  How  can  that  dog's  leg  be  made  to 
scratch  that  spot,  unless  directed  to  do  so  by  some  con- 
scious intelligence?  It  would  be  impossible.  The  cells 
in  the  nerve  centre  or  little  brain  of.  the  spine  of  the  dog, 
directing  all  those  complicated  muscular  acts  of  bringing 
the  hind  leg  up  to  the  exact  spot  and  scratching  it,  after 
having  first  been  informed  by  the  skin  cells  of  the  serious 
trouble,  certainly  show  as  much  intelligence  as  any  other 
act  directed  by  the  brain  cells  while  his  head  was  attached. 

To  be  able  to  direct  the  scratching  to  the  exact  spot 
shows  a  will  and  a  purpose,  not  only  a  will  to  do  some- 
thing but  an  ability  to  act  so  as  to  effect  the  purpose.  In 


WHAT   IS   INTELLIGENCE?  195 

regard  to  this  one  movement  of  the  headless  dog  and  frog, 
Prof.  Harris  states :  "Not  only  does  there  seem  purpose 
in  this  action,  but  their  precision  as  regard  to  place  aimed 
at  is  very  striking.  There  is  no  haphazard  fumbling,  as 
it  were,  on  the  part  of  the  muscles,  they  answer  to  the 
message  without  undue  delay  and  with  all  due  accuracy. 
Now  this  adaption  or  co-ordination  must  depend  on  a  very 
perfectly  working  intra-neural  mechanism." 

We  now  come  to  another  interesting  kind  of  intelli- 
gence we  call  habit.  We  begin  practicing  certain  actions, 
as  walking,  riding,  and  playing  a  piano  and  at  first  every 
act  must  be  directed  by  the  brain  cells,  as  no  particular 
nerves  have  been  set  apart  for  any  such  special  perform- 
ance. But  as  we  continue  to  perform  these  acts,  special 
nerve  centres  develop  and  take  charge  of  the  work,  until 
finally,  after  long  practice  the  work  will  be  performed 
without  much,  if  any  attention  whatever,  from  the  brain 
cells. 

It  seems  to  be  the  wish  of  all  the  cells  of  the  body  that 
the  cells  of  the  brain  who  have  charge  of  the  special 
senses  shall  not  be  occupied  with  other  work  more  than 
is  necessary ;  so  as  soon  as  is  possible,  when  any  special 
work  is  required,  the  organs  or  limbs  soon  learn  to  take 
charge  of  the  work  without  requiring  any  direction  to  do 
so  by  the  brain  cells. 

You  can  clearly  see  the  reason  for  this ;  if  the  party  in 
charge  of  the  periscope  of  the  submarine  should  have  to 
be  occupied  continually  with  directing  the  performance 
of  details  which  could  be  done  by  others,  he  could  not  at- 
tend to  his  own  work,  which  should  be  obtaining  infor- 
mation from  the  outside  world,  and  directing  the  more 
important  acts  of  the  boat  in  its  movements  of  capture 
and  escape. 

^Started  out  to  prove  in  this  chapter  that : 


196     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

First — Any  animal  is  an  individual,  made  up  of  still 
smaller  individuals  we  call  cells. 

Second — That  the  intelligence  of  any  individual  will 
depend  on  the  parties  in  charge  and  directing  its  actions. 

Third — That  the  parties  in  charge  and  directing  the  ac- 
tions of  an  animal  are  those  cells  set  apart  for  that  pur- 
pose, which  we  call  nervous  system  or  nerve  cells. 

Fourth — That  because  the  cells  of  the  brain  are  in 
touch  with  all  the  other  cells  of  the  body,  does  not  make 
them  any  more  intelligent  or  different  from  the  other 
nerve  cells  or  nerve  centres  which  work  under  them  or 
work  separately  and  not  under  them. 

Fifth — That  every  nerve  cell  or  nerve  centre  is  a  center 
of  conscious  and  intelligent  direction  and  directs  and 
guides  the  actions  of  certain  muscles  or  cells  they  have  in 
charge. 

Sixth — Therefore,  every  cell  is  an  intelligent  individual, 
capable  of  either  receiving  an  order  or  executing  an  in- 
telligent act,  or  of  receiving  and  ordering  another  cell  to 
do  and  perform  intelligent  acts. 

Now  it  must  be  clear  that  every  cell  of  the  body  is  a 
nerve  cell,  in  so  far  as  it  has  ability  to  receive  information 
together  with  those  special  qualities  added  which  make 
it  a  bone  cell,  liver  cell,  lung  cell,  muscle  cell,  kidney  cell, 
etc.,  as  the  case  may  be.  That  is,  every  cell  must  be  an 
intelligent  individual,  in  order  to  be  able  to  receive  orders 
and  execute  them.  The  cells  of  the  liver,  lungs,  bones, 
etc.,  have  not  only  special  work  to  do,  such  as  would  per- 
tain to  the  special  business  or  work  they  have  in  charge, 
but  they  also  have  to  receive  instructions  and  orders  and 
perform  the  work  they  are  told  to  do  by  the  nerve  cells. 

From  a  consideration  of  these  facts,  it  is  clear  that 
every  cell  of  the  body  must  be  an  intelligent  being.  The 
nerve  centres  as  directed  by  the  higher  centres  in  the 


WHAT  IS  INTELLIGENCE?  197 

brain  and  spine,  are,  of  course,  the  caretakers  and  gov- 
ernors of  the  body.  They  govern  the  different  organs, 
attend  to  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  regulate  the  heart, 
take  care  of  waste  matter,  direct  the  digestive  organs, 
liver  and  every  other  organ. 

The  brain  is  the  center  of  intelligence  for  the  entire 
body  as  a  whole.  The  following  is  a  good  description  of 
a  body  or  cell  community,  by  Prof.  Benjamin  Moore,  Pro- 
fessor of  Chemistry  in  the  University  of  London  : 

"The  body  of  one  of  the  higher  animals  or  man  con- 
sists of  an  enormous  assemblage  or  community  of  many 
millions  of  millions  of  such  living  units  far  outnumbering 
the  total  population  of  human  individuals  on  the  earth, 
and  this  vast  community  of  living  cells  which  together 
constitute  a  living  man  or  woman,  are,  in  a  state  of  health, 
so  co-ordinated  and  regulated  as  to  excel,  in  goodness  of 
government  and  co-adaptation  to  one  another's  wants, 
any  social  system  which  has  ever  regulated  a  body  corpor- 
ate in  human  history.  There  is  just  as  much  division  of 
labor  and  mutual  assistance  and  government  as  in  a  state 
or  vast  empire,  and  moreover  there  are  scarcely  any  of 
the  defects  of  a  bad  government  in  the  affairs  of  men  in  a 
social  community  which  may  not  find  their  parallel  in  the 
organic  happenings  in  a  single  human  body  when  invaded 
by  disease.  Similar  types  of  cell  are  aggregated  into  for- 
mations called  tissues,  designed  for  serving  some  com- 
mon office  of  the  body,  and  at  times  two  or  three  tissues 
are  blended  together  to  form  what  is  termed  an  organ  for 
carrying  out  some  special  task.  The  stomach  may  be 
taken  as  an  example  of  such  an  organ.  Internally  it  pos- 
sesses a  layer  in  which  are  millions  of  cells  formed  into 
little  tube-like  glands,  which  secrete  a  digestive  fluid  and 
pour  it  out  by  millions  of  minute  ducts  or  pores  upon  the 
food  contained  in  the  cavity  of  the  stomach. 


198     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

The  cell  must  have  lived  for  ages  before  it  discovered 
the  advantages  of  working  together  in  a  social  and  co- 
operative community,  before  it  even  started  to  build  any 
structures  like  plants  and  animals.  So  man  lived  for 
ages  before  he  discovered  the  benefits  of  working  together 
in  a  civilized  community.  However,  we  know  that  savage 
man  works  and  moves  with  a  purpose  and  has  the  same 
intellectual  machinery  as  civilized  man  and  other  animals. 
They  all  work  for  a  purpose  and  do  what  they  think  or 
believe  to  be  the  right  thing  to  do.  If  the  cells  have  or- 
ganized these  social  communities,  just  as  man  has  his, 
why  are  the  cells  not  as  intelligent  as  man?  Civilized 
man  only  a  few  years  ago  thought  that  burning  witches 
was  the  right  thing  to  do.  Just  a  few  years  ago,  you  might 
say,  the  most  highly  civilized  people  in  the  world  tied 
their  wives,  mothers  and  sisters  to  stakes  and  burned 
them  alive.  They  did  it  with  a  purpose,  thinking  it  was 
the  right  and  proper  thing  to  do.  People  are  doing  things 
today  just  as  ridiculous  and  absurd.  We  are  intelligent 
beings,  at  least  we  are  supposed  to  be.  Do  insects  ever 
do  anything  as  foolish?  When  we  investigate  the  won- 
derful organization  of  the  cell  communities  which  make 
up  the  body  of  an  animal  or  plant,  it  is  impossible  to  see 
anything  but  actions  performed  with  a  purpose  and  di- 
rected by  intelligence.  Take  for  instance,  in  the  case  of 
an  infant,  why  is  the  baby  born  so  helpless?  Why  is 
he  not  born  like  the  pig,  with  ability  to  care  for  himself 
and  run  like  a  rabbit  within  twenty-four  hours?  When 
you  come  to  consider  the  matter,  however,  he  is  able  to 
do  everything  necessary  for  his  existence.  He  can  make 
a  noise,  breath  and  suck.  He  knows  how  to  suck  as  if 
he  had  practiced  it  for  years. 

The  cells  of  the  body  which  have  charge  of  the  work 
of  building  and  starting  a  new  human  being  in  the  world. 


WHAT  IS  INTELLIGENCE?  199 

take  care  of  the  business  at  every  step ;  as  soon  as  he 
gets  too  large  to  be  taken  care  of  inside  of  the  body,  elab- 
orate preparations  take  place  for  disconnecting  him  with 
the  inside  conditions.  Food  is  prepared  for  him  by  a  force 
of  cells  at  the  place  where  it  is  to  be  delivered  to  him  after 
he  gets  outside. 

This  food  is  so  properly  proportioned  and  balanced  that 
he  will  get  everything  necessary  for  the  further  develop- 
ment of  his  body.  Some  one  must  be  interested  in  his 
welfare,  and  take  care  of  him  with  the  same  faith  and 
good  will  as  before,  so  the  cells  that  had  charge  of  him 
while  inside  of  the  body  continue  to  look  after  him,  and 
these  cells  are  allowed  full  control  of  the  brain  cells  and 
all  other  cells  of  the  mother.  Her  mind  is  taken  posses- 
sion of  by  these  cells  or  nerve  centres  who  have  the  work 
in  hand  of  perpetuating  the  race  and  she  is  compelled  to 
think  that  her  infant  is  the  only  thing  in  the  world  worth 
while.  She  will  sacrifice  her  life  and  everything,  if  neces- 
sary, to  save  her  baby.  » 

We  find  upon  investigation  that  nerve  cells  have  been 
placed  near  the  lips  and  the  mouth  of  the  infant,  which 
direct  every  muscular  act  of  the  infant's  mouth  in  the  act 
of  sucking.  We  have  found  now  that  the  infant's  mus- 
cles are  able  to  walk  when  he  is  born,  but  he  has  not  the 
nerve  centres  developed  to  direct  the  muscular  action 
required  in  the  act  of  walking ;  that  as  soon  as  they  are 
developed,  he  will  walk  whether  he  has  had  any  practice 
or  not.  How  the  infant's  mouth  can  know  how  to  suck 
and  his  feet  to  walk,  will  be  explained  under  the  chapter 
on  inheritance. 

Some  decline  to  consider  the  idea  that  anything  as  small 
as  a  cell  can  have  intelligence.  How  about  the  ant?  He 
lives  a  social  life  in  the  same  manner  as  the  most  highly 
civilized  species  of  man. 


He  keeps  captive  certain  bugs  that  secrete  a  sweet  juice 
for  him,  on  which  he  feeds,  just  as  we  keep  cows.  He 
keeps  slaves,  warriors,  servants,  has  grave  yards,  per- 
forms funeral  services  and  many  other  social  acts  and 
customs  performed  by  man.  The  ant's  brain,  where  the 
center  of  his  intelligence  is  located,  is  composed  of  but 
few  cells, — so  few  that  the  whole  crowd  of  cells  in  charge 
of  all  the  social  and  various  actions  of  the  ant  can  be  seen 
only  with  the  microscope. 

Again  the  actions  of  a  louse,  which  lives  under  the 
mouth  of  the  ant,  exhibits  just  as  much  intelligence  as  a 
man  would  show  placed  under  similar  circumstances.  The 
cell  which  builds  the  ant-louse,  the  ant,  the  animal  and 
man  are  one  and  the  same  kind  of  individual.  There  are 
no  features  of  distinction  about  any  of  them,  so  that  you 
can  tell  one  from  the  other,  when  examined  by  the  micro- 
scope. The  only  difference  that  can  exist  in  their  make 
up  is  a  difference  in  their  experience.  One  kind  has  been 
living  one  kind  of  life  and  oae  another. 

One  understands  how  to  build  an  ant  because  he  has 
had  experience  in  that  work  and  in  that  kind  of  existence 
and  none  other;  the  other  kind  has  had  experience  in 
building  the  individual  we  call  man.  In  reference  to  the 
intelligent  acts  of  the  ants  and  the  ant-louse,  I  must  quote 
Prof.  C.  E.  Walker,  of  the  Royal  College  of  Science  in 
London : 

"A  mite,  Antennophorus  uhlmanni,  is  parasitic  upon  an 
ant  (Lasius).  The  mite  is  of  such  a  size  that  it  would 
hamper  the  movements  of  the  ant  if  it  were  attached  on 
one  side  or  the  other.  It  attaches  itself  under  the  middle 
of  the  ant's  head.  The  mite  eats  the  food  of  the  ant,  but 
does  not  injure  it  individually ;  for  anything  that  pre- 
vented the  ant  seeking  its  food  would  directly  injure  the 
parasite.  When  the  ant  feeds,  the  mite  moves  forward 


WHAT  IS  INTELLIGENCE?  201 

slightly,  and  takes  its  share  of  food  from  the  ant's  tongupii 
Should  a  second  mite  attach  itself  to  an  ant,  the  first 
moves  over  to  one  side  and  the  second  takes  up  a  position 
upon  the  opposite  side,  thus  keeping  the  ant  well  balanced 
and  hampering  its  movements  as  little  as  possible.  Should 
one  of  the  mites  drop  off,  the  other  moves  to  the  middle. 
When  three  mites  attach  themselves  to  one  ant  they  ar- 
range themselves  one  on  either  side  and  one  in  the  middle, 
and  if  one  drops  off  the  remaining  two  arrange  themselves 
accordingly.  Are  these  instinctive  actions  conceivable  as 
the  outcome  of  a  mutation?  Hardly,  unless  of  a  long  ser- 
ies of  minute  mutations  indistinguishable  from  fluctuat- 
ing variations. 

"Among  the  ants  we  find,  besides  species  that  live  in 
colonies  in  an  independent  manner,  species  that  make 
slaves  of  other  species  of  ants.  Among  these  slave  own- 
ers we  find  gradations  between  those  which  are  often 
without  slaves  and  perfectly  able  to  look  after  themselves 
and  their  young,  and  those  which  are  not  able  to  feed 
themselves  or  even  to  fight.  Formica  sanguinea  is  the 
only  slave-making  ant'  in  Great  Britain.  Regular  expe- 
ditions are  made  in  which  the  nests  of  other  ants  are  at- 
tacked, and  the  pupae  are  carried  off  by  the  conquerors. 
When  the  pupae  hatch  out  they  do  most  of  the  house- 
work for  their  owners,  who  are  very  lazy.  There  are 
workers,  however,  who  do  the  housework  duties  in  the 
absence  of  the  slaves.  Polyergus  rufescens  has  gone  fur- 
ther in  the  slave-owning  direction  than  F.  sanguinea.  It 
is  admirably  adapted  to  its  part.  While  F.  sanguinea  is 
not  really  a  great  warrior,  and  fights  only  in  numbers,  P. 
rufescens  does  not  mind  any  odds,  and  fights  single- 
handed  most  splendidly.  When  in  an  attacking  force, 
however,  these  ants  act  in  concert  in  the  most  remarkable 
manner,  the  fierceness  of  the  individual  being  subordin- 


202     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

ated  to  the  various  necessary  tactical  movements,  even 
when  these  involve  retreat.  Their  mandibles  are  so  mod- 
ified from  the  usual  form  that  they  are  practically  useless 
to  the  owner  except  for  fighting.  The  ant  is  thus  not  only 
unable  to  perform  the  delicate  actions  involved  in  feeding 
its  own  larvae,  but  it  is  quite  unable  to  feed  itself,  and 
will  starve  in  the  midst  of  plenty  unless  its  slaves  are 
there  to  feed  it.  P.  Rufescens  attacks  the  nests  of  other 
ants,  killing  many  of  them,  and  carrying  off  some  of  the 
larger  pupae.  When  these  hatch  out,  they  serve  their 
masters  willingly  and  faithfully,  even  fighting  in  defense 
of  the  nest.  In  an  allied  American  species,  the  slaves 
even  carry  their  masters  and  mistresses  when  the  colony 
migrate,  as  the  latter  do  nothing  for  themselves.  The  ex- 
treme of  dependence  is  exhibited  by  Anergates,  which  is 
unable  to  feed  itself  or  its  larvae,  and  would  be  quite  un- 
able to  cope  with  other  ants  that  live  with  and  tend  it, 
did  the  latter  decline  to  serve." 

The  size  of  an  animal  has  nothing  to  do  with  its  intelli- 
gence. Compare  for  instance  the  intelligence  of  the  in- 
sects with  that  of  man.  The  insects  do  the  same  thinking 
and  planning  that  man  does.  The  brain  of  the  insects  is 
but  a  microscopic  speck.  The  bees  work  together  for  a 
purpose,  like  the  organization  of  a  large  city  or  factory. 
The  ants  have  their  slaves,  and  keep  cows  and  milk  them. 
Some  ants  are  parasites  and  live  upon  others  as  men  do. 

It  is  now  admitted  by  the  scientific  world  that  the  insect 
known  as  the  Hunter  Wasp  is  able  to  perform  surgical 
operations  which  would  puzzle  the  greatest  scientists  of 
today.  He  is  able  to  do  so  without  any  previous  exper- 
ience or  instruction  in  the  art.  The  Hunter  Wasp  catches 
the  caterpillar  or  cricket  and  stings  it  in  such  a  way  as  to 
paralize  the  creature  completely,  preventing  all  move- 
ment and  yet  not  destroying  life.  The  insects  like  the 


WHAT   IS   INTELLIGENCE?  203 

caterpillar,  cricket,  etc.,  have  a  nervous  system  which  is 
so  well  understood  by  the  Hunter  Wasp  that  he  stings  it 
in  the  exact  nerve  center  which  will  paralize,  but  not  kill. 
In  this  way  the  wasp  provides  fresh  meat  for  its  young. 
The  captured  paralized  victim  is  carried  to  the  nest,  and 
the  wasp  lays  its  egg  on  a  tender  spot  on  the  paralized 
prey.  No  skilled  surgeon  can  equal  the  wasp  in  suspend- 
ing animation,  and  keeping  the  victim  alive.  It  is  now 
conceded  that  if  the  wasp's  victim 'was  kept  alive  without 
food  or  drink  he  would  live  but  a  few  days,  whereas  that 
same  creature  paralized  by  the  wasp's  poisonous  sting 
will  live  for  several  weeks.  Where  does  man  exhibit  any 
more  foresight  and  intelligence  than  does  this  wasp? 

The  mother  wasp  provides  for  a  generation  to  come, 
which  she  has  never  seen.  Some  wise  men  do  the  same 
thing.  The  young  wasp  who  has  never  seen  its  mother, 
nor  had  any  experience  or  instructions  in  the  stinging  and 
paralyzing  business,  starts  out  and  does  the  same  thing 
over  again  that  its  mother  did.  It  knows  how  to  use  its 
sting  to  paralyze  the  cricket  without  destroying  its  life ; 
it  knows  where  to  find  them ;  it  knows  where  to  find  the 
material  with  which  to  build  its  nest ;  it  performs  no  fool- 
ish, silly  and  useless  actions.  Man, — that  is  some  men, 
show  intelligence  of  a  very  high  degree  similar  to  the  in- 
sects ;  but  consider  for  a  moment  the  countless  absurd  and 
silly  actions  of  the  great  majority  of  men  today.  I  shall 
not  mention  the  every-day  foolish  actions  that  take  place, 
but  shall  call  your  attention  to  some,  in  the  past,  the  con- 
sideration of  which  will  not  be  opposed  by  the  prejudices 
of  the  reader.  I  read  in  the  Mason  City  Daily  Times  the 
following: 

"  'Festival  of  the  Ass.'  If  you  should  enter  the  church 
today  and  find  an  ass  tied  near  the  altar ;  and  if,  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  services,  the  priest  or  preacher  should 


204     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

bray  three  times,  instead  of  the  usual  benediction,  and  the 
congregation  respond  with  a  general  'hee-hawing' 
wouldn't  you  immediately  jump  to  the  conclusion  that 
you  were  in  the  chapel  of  a  lunatic  asylum?  Probably  so. 
Yet,  what  you  had  witnessed  and  heard  might  be  nothing 
less  innocent  than  the  revival  of  the  ancient  'Festival  of 
the  Ass,'  which  for  centuries  was  celebrated  annually  on 
the  fourteenth  day  of  January  in  churches  throughout  Eu- 
rope. The  assinine  fiesta  was  one  of  the  most  popular  of 
the  year,  and,  although  it  now  seems  ridiculous,  it  was 
looked  upon  as  a  very  solemn  and  sanctified  occasion  in 
the  days  of  our  remote  ancestors." 

Nowadays  the  dictionaries  define  an  ass  as  both  quad- 
ruped and  biped,  the  latter  being  a  'dull,  heavy  and  stupid 
fellow,  a  dolt,  a  fool.'  In  the  popular  imagination  an  ass 
is  considered  about  the  lowest  in  intelligence  of  the  ani- 
mal kingdom.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  there  is  no  more  rea- 
son for  condemning  the  ass  as  lacking  in  intelligence  than 
there  is  for  praising  the  wisdom  of  the  owl. 

The  ass  has  long  played  a  prominent  part  in  relig- 
ious history.  The  celebrated  ass  of  Balaam,  as  all  stu- 
dents of  scripture  know,  was  wiser  than  his  master.  In 
the  pagan  mythology  the  ass  held  an  honored  place  and 
it  was  believed  that  an  ass,  by  its  braying,  had  saved 
Vesta  from  violation.  In  the  ancient  world  the  'corona- 
tion of  the  ass'  formed  an  important  part  of  the  feast  of 
the  chaste  goddess. 

The  observance  of  the  Christian  "Festival  of  the  Ass" 
on  the  fourteenth  of  January  spread  over  Europe  and  for 
centuries  the  feast  held  a  prominent  place  in  the  Christian 
Calendar.  The  animal  was  decorated  with  gold  embroid- 
ered trappings  and  was  looked  upon  as  sacred.  After  the 
procession  had  wended  its  way  through  the  streets  of  the 
city  or  town,  the  marchers  chanted  a  chorus  interspersed 


WHAT  IS  INTELLIGENCE?  205 

with  loud  'hee-haws.'  The  ass  was  a  matter  of  much  con- 
cern, as  it  was  desirable  to  secure  a  gentle  and  obedient 
animal.  The  ass  is  noted  for  his  perversity  and  obstinacy, 
and  these  qualities  were  often  in  evidence  during  the  pro- 
cessions. Often  the  'sacred  ass'  manifested  a  decided  ob- 
jection to  entering  the  church,  and  in  many  cases  had  to 
be  carried  in — a  proceeding  which  detracted  from  the  dig- 
nity of  the  occasion.  It  was  considered  a  great  triumph, 
and  a  good  omen,  if  the  ass  could  be  induced  to  bray  dur- 
ing the  church  services." 

You  notice  the  ass  generally  refused  to  go  in  and  preach, 
but  when  he  did  go  in  and  stood  in  front  of  the  altar  and 
brayed,  they  considered  the  noise  a  wonderful  oration. 
The  ass  could  see  no  use  or  purpose  in  the  fool  business, 
and  sometimes  had  to  be  carried  in.  However  even  after 
they  had  carried  him  in  up  to  the  altar,  he  would  some- 
times refuse  to  bray  or  preach  for  them,  when  of  course 
they  would  feel  greatly  disappointed.  This  is  only  one  of 
the  countless  absurdities  performed  by  man  and  the  old 
notion  that  man  alone  reasons  and  animals  act  from  in- 
stinct is  clearly  without  foundation.  Animals  never  act 
silly  as  the  human  race  does  today.  The  oyster  building 
cells  can  make  a  better  pearl  than  the  greatest  scientist 
today.  The  oyster  in  his  ways  and  place  in  life  is  just 
as  smart  as  the  brightest  man  in  his  place  in  nature.  The 
size  of  the  being  or  cell  colony  does  not  determine  its  in- 
telligence, capacity  or  wisdom. 

The  Dinosaur,  one  of  the  largest  animals  that  ever  lived, 
is  now  extinct  and  no  more.  In  its  day  it  was  probably 
the  most  powerful  animal  that  ever  lived.  The  cells 
building  the  Dinosaur  went  too  far  in  the  matter  of  size, 
and  failed  altogether  while  the  smaller  cell  colonies  like 
plants,  insects,  etc.,  are  still  with  us  and  flourish  in  great 
profusion.  How  can  the  young  wasp  know  how  to  do  all 


206     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

this  difficult  work  without  any  previous  experience  or  in- 
struction? The  cells  that  build  the  young  or  new  wasp 
came  from  the  mother  wasp.  It  is  the  cells  that  know 
how,  not  the  wasp,  just  as  it  is  the  people  in  the  battleship 
that  know  how  to  shoot  and  not  the  battleship.  Just  so,  it 
is  the  cells  in  your  head  that  know  how  to  do  a  thing  and 
not  yourself;  and  every  specific  part  of  your  knowledge 
is  in  charge  of  some  certain  bunch  of  cells  in  your  brain, 
who  have  that  specific  department  of  knowledge  in  charge. 
It  is  likely  that  the  wasp  building  cells  experimented  for 
hundreds  and  thousands  of  years  before  they  completely 
mastered  the  profession  of  stinging  the  insects  just  in  the 
right  place  to  effect  the  desired  results.  The  cells  in  the 
new  wasp  must  be  in  possession  of  the  same  knowledge 
as  the  mother  as  they  are  of  one  and  the  same  family. 

Compare  the  actions  of  the  Hunter  Wasp  whose  brain 
is  composed  of  possibly  only  a  half  dozen  individual  cells, 
whose  brain  is  but  an  invisible  microscopic  speck,  with 
the  actions  of  man,  whose  brain  is  composed  of  more  than 
800  million  individual  cells.  Whose  actions  show  more  in- 
telligence, those  of  the  wasp  as  a  skilled  surgeon,  or  those 
of  the  men  trying  to  make  the  ass  make  a  fool  of  himself, 
by  putting  him  up  in  front  of  the  altar  to  bray? 

The  brain  of  man  is  at  least  a  million  times  larger  than 
the  brain  of  the  wasp,  and  still  its  capacity  to  reason  is 
not  nearly  as  good  as  that  of  the  wasp.  The  actions  of 
all  animals,  insects  and  plants  when  closely  investigated 
show  no  foolish  and  purposeless  actions,  like  man's.  This 
is  clear  proof  that  the  cell  as  a  separate  individual  is  just 
as  intelligent  as  a  billion  individuals.  It  is  clear  that  if 
the  wasp  building  cells  know  how  to  make  a  special  in- 
strument or  stinger  with  which  to  be  able  to  pierce  and 
inject  poison  into  the  hard  protected  body  of  other  insects, 
they  should  also  know  how  to  use  it  when  they  are  ready 


WHAT   IS   INTELLIGENCE?  207 

to  do  so.  The  cells  build  the  wasp  with  his  stinger,  eyes 
and  limbs,  with  a  purpose  in  view,  just  as  we  build  a  bat- 
tleship with  a  purpose  in  view,  and  when  we  have  it  ready 
we  know  how  to  use  it.  The  actions  of  every  wing,  leg, 
etc.,  of  the  wasp,  are  directed  by  cells  in  his  body,  who 
have  those  specific  actions  in  charge.  So  it  is  with  our 
actions,  and  so  it  is  with  the  actions  of  the  battleship. 
The  battleship  can  talk,  just  as  we  can,  but  the  actions 
of  blowing  the  whistle  and  interpreting  the  meaning,  must 
be  done  by  the  individuals  in  charge. 

You  can  say  that  the  battleship  New  York  signalled  the 
battleship  Minnesota  to  do  this  and  to  do  that,  and  in  a 
certain  sense  it  is  true  that  the  battleships  as  individuals 
talk  to  each  other  and  direct  each  other's  actions.  In  a 
similar  manner,  animals  and  man  talk  to  each  other  and 
direct  each  other's  actions,  but  with  man  and  animals  as 
well  as  with  the  battleships,  it  is  the  individuals  in  charge 
that  signal  and  talk  and  direct  the  actions.  In  man,  ani- 
mals, and  plants,  it  is  the  cell  that  does  the  signalling, 
talking  and  directing,  while  in  the  case  of  the  battleships, 
railroads,  cities,  states,  and  nations,  the  signalling,  talk- 
ing and  directing  is  done  by  man.  All  the  mysteries  of 
life  become  clear  when  we  understand  what  it  is. 

First  we  have  the  primordial  cell,  which  at  this  time  we 
can  hardly  see  with  the  most  powerful  microscope.  These 
have  organized  themselves  together  into  a  larger  individ- 
ual or  colony,  whose  actions  we  can  clearly  see  and  which 
we  call  a  cell.  These  cells  have  again  organized  them- 
selves into  larger  individuals  or  colonies  which  we  call 
animals  and  plants,  depending  on  their  method  and  place 
in  life.  Then  we  have  a  certain  species  of  these  cell  col- 
onies or  individuals  we  call  men,  organizing  themselves 
into  individuals  like  battleships,  cities,  states  and  nations. 
You  will  notice  that  one  organization  is  based  upon  the 


208     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

other,  the  larger  on  the  smaller.  At  the  base  of  all  is  the 
barely  visible  primordial  cell,  who  is  organized  into  the 
cells  that  build  us  and  all  living  things  we  see.  It  is  the 
intelligence  of  man  that  directs  the  actions  of  battleships, 
railroad  trains,  cities  and  nations,  and  it  is  the  intelligence 
of  the  cell  that  directs  the  actions  of  man,  animals,  and 
plants. 

I  could  go  on  indefinitely  illustrating  these  matters, 
that  the  size  of  brain  or  number  of  cells  in  the  brain  does 
not  increase  the  intelligence.  The  increase  in  numbers 
gives  the  power  to  specialize  in  more  different  kinds  of 
thinking.  It  is  clear  that  every  line  of  thinking  must  have 
its  special  committee  of  thinkers  to  take  care  of  it.  But 
as  the  thinkers  are  cells  and  one  can  think  as  well  as  the 
other,  it  is  clear  that  the  business  in  hand  will  be  taken 
care  of  as  well  in  one  case  as  in  the  other,  whether  it  is 
one  cell  or  a  million.  The  intelligent  acts  of  the  cell  living 
its  single  and  separate  life,  clearly  proves  that  fact.  I  be- 
lieve that  I  have  demonstrated  what  must  be  understood 
by  intelligence.  It  is  a  quality  based  on  memory  and  pos- 
sessed by  the  individual,  who  builds  all  organic  life,  the 
being  we  call  cell.  So  «far  we' can  clearly  see  and  under- 
stand life,  at  this  time.  Some  day  we  shall  understand 
it  still  better. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  CELL. 

In  a  previous  chapter  we  discussed  the  question  as  to 
what  was  intelligence  in  an  animal.  We  found  it  con- 
sisted of  the  work  of  two  departments  of  the  individual, 
the  sense  organs  and  the  brain.  The  sense  organs  must 
gather  the  information  from  the  outside  world  and  trans- 
mit it  to  the  cells  in  the  brain  and  the  brain  cells  must  act 
on  such  information.  These  are  the  requirements  for  the 
performance  of  an  intelligent  act  by  an  animal,  based  on 
every  other  intelligent  act  and  power,  which  we  call  mem- 
ory. Memory  is  the  power  to  take  and  keep  a  record  of 
past  events  and  use  it  as  a  reference  and  guide  to  future 
acts. 

This  power  of  storing  away  memoranda  of  different 
transactions  that  have  taken  place  in  the  past,  we  find  is 
possessed  by  all  cells  or  living  beings. 

Three  things  are  necessary  to  make  up  the  mental  ma- 
chinery of  an  individual,  viz.,  to  receive,  to  think  and  to 
direct.  Those  three  things  go  together  to  make  up  what 
we  call  the  mind. 

In  the  past  the  subject  of  mind  had  been  studied  as  the 
human  mind,  animal  mind  and  child  mind,  but  of  late  it 
has  been  recognized  that  all  living  beings  have  a  mind. 
Now  this  question  of  mind  can  be  studied  in  two  ways ; 
first,  by  examining  your  own  mind  and  the  actions  arising 


210  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

from  it;  and  secondly,  by  observing  the  actions  of  others. 

From  late  investigations,  it  has  become  clear  that  the 
mind  of  man  is  the  result  of  the  minds  of  the  individual 
cells  working  together  in  his  head,  which  we  call  in  the 
aggregate,  his  brain. 

The  real  thinkers  are  the  brain  cells.  They  are  there 
for  that  special  purpose.  The  minds  of  men  are  not  all 
alike  because  they  have  not  all  received  the  same  informa- 
tion from  the  outside  world.  The  cells  of  the  brain  can 
only  act  on  such  information  as  they  get  from  the  outside 
world.  If  they  are  told  for  a  number  of  years  that  the 
Catholic  religion  is  the  best  it  will  take  considerable  proof 
to  change  them  to  Mohammedans,  and  just  as  difficult 
will  it  be  to  change  a  Mohammedan  into  a  Catholic. 

Some  one  has  said  that  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world 
is  mind.  It  is  true  the  mind  in  man  has  done  all  those 
things  that' man  has  produced,  such  as  building  railroads, 
and  other  industries  of  commerce,  literature,  art,  science, 
social  institutions  and  government.  We  can  say  further 
that  the  mind  of  the  cell  has  produced  all  those  wonderful 
structures  we  call  plants  and  animals. 

The  mind  has  been  generally  considered  from  two 
points  of  view,  as  thought  and  conduct,  that  is  to  say,  first 
as  receiving  information  and  learning,  and  then  as  acting, 
willing  or  doing.  I  think  it  would  be  more  correct  to  di- 
vide it  into  three  departments  ;  first,  the  receiving  of  infor- 
mation from  the  outside  world,  such  as  is  performed  by 
the  senses;  second,  the  consideration  of  such  information, 
such  as  the  work  of  the  purely  thinking  cells  of  the  brain  ; 
third,  the  willing  and  doing  department  or  motor  brain 
cells,  or  motor  system,  which  commands  and  directs  the 
actions. 

Now  in  order  that  the  thinkers  may  be  able  to  act  on 
any  information  received,  they  must  of  course  be  able  to 


INTELLIGENCE  OF   THE   CELL  211 

use  their  power  of  memory — that  is  to  refer  to  past  rec- 
ords and  experiences,  so  as  to  be  able  to  reason  out  the 
best  thing  to  be  done  at  all  times,  as  information  comes  in. 

Let  us  consider  this  matter  of  conduct,  in  regard  to  de- 
termining a  person's  mind.  We  know  that  every  being 
acts  according  to  his  mind.  So  from  the  actions  of  any 
individual,  we  can  determine  his  mental  condition,  intel- 
lectual or  mental  capacity.  We  know  this  to  be  a  fact, 
so  when  we  see  some  good  piece  of  machinery  or  some 
fine  literary  production  or  some  beautiful  structure  or  an 
efficient  organization,  we  are  forced  to  admit  that  mind 
and  intellect  were  necessary  for  its  production. 

Before  discussing  any  specific  action  of  the  cell,  I  shall 
quote  Dr.  Swoboda's  description  of  the  cell  as  an  organ- 
izer and  builder  of  the  human  body,  to-wit : 

"The  human  organism  or  body  is  developed  and  organ- 
ized out  of  one  cell.  This  original  cell  through  sub-divi- 
sion and  growth  creates  billions  of  cells  of  different  varie- 
ties and  character,  and  thus  the  body  is  but  a  nation  or 
vast  army  of  individuals ;  these  individuals,  the  cells,  live 
together  for  a  selfish  purpose,  while  at  the  same  time 
having  the  community  interest,  just  like  man  who  is  a 
member  of  a  nation  or  community. 

"Originally  cells  evidently  existed  in  an  environment 
which  made  it  possible  for  them  to  live  and  perform  all 
their  functions  of  life  individually  without  the  aid  of  co- 
operation and  organization,  but  conditions  generally  and 
persistently  changed  so  that  the  cells  were  compelled  to 
unite  into  organizations  which  were  more  aggressive  and 
capable  of  self-preservation  accordingly  as  the  various 
experiences  indicated  and  demanded,  and  in  harmony 
with  their  capacity  to  organize  under  the  influence  of 
conscious  energy,  the  designer,  organizer,  evolutionizer 
and  life  of  the  body. 


212  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

"In  a  community  the  complete  function  of  life  is  sub- 
divided. Some  individuals  perform  one  kind  of  labor 
while  other  special  duties  are  assumed  by  individuals  who 
have  especially  adapted  themselves  to  the  requirements  of 
the  specific  labor  function.  For  instance,  there  are  those 
who  are  engaged  in  banking,  while  others  are  engaged  in 
the  transportation  of  matter  from  one  community  to  an- 
other ;  there  are  men  who  make  storage  their  business  and 
life  function,  while  some  raise  cattle  and  thus  provide  the 
meat  for  the  rest  of  the  individuals.  Then  there  are  the 
doctors,  the  lawyers,  and  the  many  specialists  who  per- 
form peculiar  labors  which  are  essential  to  the  happiness 
and  success  of  the  community,  and  from  this  collection  of 
individuals  are  chosen  men  who  pass  the  laws  and  govern 
the  citizens. 

"Identically  this  same  organization  and  specialization 
of  the  units  prevails  in  the  body.  All  cells  have  developed, 
to  an  unusually  high  degree,  some  special  characteristic 
under  the  influence  of  conscious  energy,  so  as  to  perform 
a  special  labor  in  the  body  for  the  benefit  of  the  commun- 
ity cells,  in  return  for  which  they  are  supplied  with  the 
necessaries  of  life  just  as  the  farmer  has  his  clothes  made 
by  another,  his  coal  dug  by  still  another  and  his  imple- 
ments manufactured  by  those  who  have  specialized  in 
these  matters  and  who,  in  turn,  receive  the  benefit  of  the 
farmer's  labor. 

"As  I  said  before,  in  the  body  as  well  as  in  the  civilized 
state,  community  or  city,  there  is  co-operation,  organiza- 
tion and  specialization  of  the  individuals.  There  are  the 
liver  cells,  muscle  cells,  kidney  cells,  bone  cells,  digestive- 
system  cells,  nerve  cells,  and  many  other  cells  of  which 
all  of  the  organs  and  tissues  are  composed.  Thus  it  is 
clearly  seen  that  the  entire  community  of  cells,  or  the 
body,  through  all  of  its  organs,  performs  the  labor  neces- 


INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  CELL  213 

sary  to  its  survival  or  the  self-preservation  of  the  cells  in 
harmony  with,  and  in  spite  of,  the  many  adverse  condi- 
tions of  nature  at  the  present  age. 

"The  brain  and  nerve  cells  are  the  individuals  who  at- 
tend to  the  desires  and  the  needs  of  the  different  cells,  as 
well  as  of  the  body,  by  informing  the  different  localities 
of  their  duties.  In  other  words,  the  nerve  system  is  the 
governor  of  the  body ;  it  is  made  up  of  thousands  of  small 
nerve  centers  and  a  few  large  collections  of  nerve  centers. 

"The  thinking  center  is  located  in  the  surface  of  that 
side  of  the  brain,  which  controls  the  more  active  or 
stronger  side  of  the  body." 

This  is  a  good  description  of  the  activities  of  the  cells 
in  the  body.  If  the  cell  is  the  designer,  organizer  and 
evolutionizer  of  the  human  body,  as  he  states  he  is,  every 
one  must  admit  that  he  is  the  one  that  does  all  the  busi- 
ness, and  I  for  one  am  compelled  to  say  that  he  is  an  in- 
telligent being.  If  they  can  organize,  design  and  live  to- 
gether in  a  social  community,  for  their  own  selfish  pur- 
pose, in ,  a  moving  structure  like  a  human  being,  they 
must  be  intelligent. 

Did  you  ever  stop  to  think  of  the  enormous  amount  of 
skill  and  knowledge  necessary  to  maintain  and  repair  the 
body?  There  is  no  work  in  the  development  of  organic 
life  that  requires  such  accurate  knowledge  and  faithful 
execution  at  all  times,  as  does  the  work  of  keeping  the 
body  in  repair.  This  will  also  include  disposing  of  waste 
material  and  worn  out  parts.  This  work  is  taken  care  of 
without  the  knowledge  of  the  upper  brain  cells.  Disease 
bacteria  or  germs  of  all  kinds  are  everywhere,  watching 
for  the  slightest  opportunity  to  enter  the  body.  These 
lodge  in  the  throat,  nose  and  mouth  and  are  known  as  a 
cold  or  catarrh  or  pneumonia  germs.  They  must  be  de- 


214     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

stroyed  before  they  multiply  and  get  into  the  blood.  Who 
looks  after  this  work? 

The  cells  of  the  body,  which  we  call  the  white  cells,  are 
cells  that  have  not  taken  upon  themselves  any  particular 
work,  like  the  cells  of  the  muscles  and  nerves,  but  live  as 
separate  beings  in  the  body  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
amoeba  now  lives  in  water.  These  cells  have  the  work 
of  destroying  invading  armies  of  other  cells,  such  as  dis- 
ease bacteria  of  all  kinds,  and  also  of  repairing  broken 
parts.  If  you  cut  your  finger,  they  will  rush  to  the  spot 
in  countless  numbers  and  commence  at  once  to  close  up 
the  cut.  To  do  this  they  will  sacrifice  themselves,  if  nec- 
essary, in  destroying  and  fighting  germs,  trying  to  enter 
the  body  through  the  cut.  In  the  struggle  for  existence 
it  is  necessary  at  times  under  certain  circumstances  for 
one  individual  to  sacrifice  his  life  for  others.  It  is  done 
by  an  intelligent  being  exercising  his  intelligence  and 
judgment  in  the  matter  on  the  theory  that  it  is  the  best 
that  can  be  done  under  those  particular  circumstances. 
Here  we  might  also  consider  the  fact  that  the  body  has 
to  do  the  best  that  can  be  done  in  each  particular  case, — 
for  instance,  if  for  some  reason  a  broken  bone  in  an  animal 
can  not  be  healed,  it  will  proceed  to  make  a  joint  at  the 
place.  I  quote  from  Spencer : 

"But  the  most  remarkable  modification  of  this  order 
occurs  in  united  fractures.  'False  Joints'  are  often  formed, 
joints  which  rudely  simulate  the  hinge  structure  or  ball 
and  socket  structure  according  as  the  muscles  tend  to 
produce  a  motion  of  flexion  and  extension  or  one  of  rota- 
tion. In  one  case  according  to  Rotikonsky,  the  two  ends 
of  the  broken  bone  became  smooth  and  covered  with  per- 
iosteum and  fibrous  tissue,  and  were  attached  by  liga- 
ments that  allowed  motion,  and  in  the  other  case  the  ends 
similarly  clothed  with  the  appropriate  membrane  became 


INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  CELL  215 

the  one  convex  and  the  other  concave,  and  were  enclosed 
in  a  capsule  and  were  even  occasionally  supplied  with 
synovial  fluid."  Think  of  the  broken  bone,  the  torn  blood 
vessel,  waste  matter  that  must  be  removed  and  new  parts 
reconstructed.  In  their  efforts  to  repair  a  broken  limb 
the  cells  decide  what  is  the  best  possible  thing  that  can 
be  done  under  the  conditions  of  that  particular  case,  and 
a  hinge  joint  or  a  ball  and  socket  joint  is  formed  according 
as  the  conditions  may  require.  Under  these  particular 
circumstances  there  is  nothing  done  by  chance.  Every 
step  requires  intelligence  and  good  judgment.  The  right 
thing  must  be  done  at  the  right  time. 

This  is  only  one  instance.  Think  of  all  the  conditions 
and  emergencies  that  arise  during  the  life  of  an  individ- 
ual. Think  of  the  "rough  and  tumble,"  ever  varying  game 
of  life,  and  how  it  is  necessary  that  the  builders  of  these 
structures  be  not  only  good  builders,  but  that  they  each 
and  all  be  equal  to  any  emergency  that  may  arise.  Here 
is  where  the  old  idea  of  chance  is  wiped  out.  Think  of  the 
enormous  amount  of  work  that  must  be  done  just  so,  de- 
pending upon  the  particular  circumstances  of  the  case. 
In  a  case  of  repairing  a  crushed  or  broken  limb,  some- 
times new  arteries  must  be  provided,  if  not,  the  limb  fur- 
ther down  could  receive  no  nourishment. 

When  the  white  cells  rush  to  the  place,  like  a  wrecking 
crew  to  a  railroad  wreck,  and  proceed  to  clear  away  the 
wreckage  and  build  it  back  into  a  useable  condition,  every 
act  must  be  done  with  a  purpose,  to  effect  certain  ends. 
Every  move  must  be  intelligent,  just  as  in  the  taking  care 
of  a  railroad  wreck.  The  correct  size  of  the  artery  and 
other  blood  vessels  must  be  determined  upon,  proper  ma- 
terials provided,  and  so  on  in  every  detail  of  the  work. 

How  are  these  beings  able  to  communicate  to  each 
other  what  each  shall  do  in  these  cases?  We  do  not  know 


216          CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

their  language  any  more  than  we  know  the  language  of 
bees  and  ants,  who  also  live  a  social  life,  like  civilized 
man.  Mr.  Binet  has  the  following  to  say  about  the  actions 
of  certain  cells : 

"Infusoria  placed  in  a  preparation  where  they  are  at 
their  ease,  swim  quietly  about;  if  any  sharp  excitation  dis- 
turbs them,  they  accelerate  their  pace ;  those  armed  with 
a  rigid  bristle  at  the  posterior  extremity  rush  precipi- 
tately onward  whenever  another  infusory  chances  to 
touch  that  tactile  appendage. 

"It  is  not  known  whether  there  are  many  animalcula 
that  perceive  the  presence  of  nutriment  from  a  distance 
and  without  coming  in  direct  contact  with  it ;  it  appears, 
however,  that  this  is  the  case  with  the  Didinium  which 
shatters  its  prey  from  a  distance  and  without  touching  it." 

Can  you  conceive  those  actions  here  described  by  Mr. 
Binet,  as  being  anything  but  the  ordinary  intelligent  ac- 
tions of  animals  that  you  know?  He  describes  the  "Did- 
inium" as  being  able  to  kill  its  victim  at  a  distance.  Can 
you  conceive  of  any  being  who  is  able  to  make  a  gun,  go 
hunting  and  kill  its  victim  as  not  being  intelligent? 

Those  are  acts  performed  by  the  cell  that  lives  singly 
and  separately  in  the  water,  taking  care  of  himself  in  the 
best  way  he  can. 

A  text  book  on  Physiology  describes  the  cell  which 
does  our  thinking  as  follows  : 

"Like  the  functions  of  all  other  organs,  those  of  the 
brain  are  effected  by  the  cells,  which  make  up  the  organ. 
These  brain-cells,  which  are  also  known  as  soul-cells, 
ganglionic  cells,  or  neurona,  are  real  nucleated  cells  of  a 
very  elaborate  structure.  It  is  true  that  the  senses  are 
the  original  source  of  all  knowledge ;  but,  in  orde'r  to  have 
real  knowledge  and  thought  the  specific  task  of  reason, 
the  impressions  received  from  the  external  world  by  the 


INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  CELL  217 

sense-organs  and  their  nerves  and  centers  must  be  com- 
bined in  the  association-centers  and  elaborated  in  the  con- 
scious thought-centers.  The  conducting  path  which 
unites  a  sense-organ  with  the  cerebral  cortex,  or  the  lat- 
ter with  a  muscle,  appears  as  a  chain  of  living  individuals 
of  which  every  member,  although  always  dependent  upon 
its  neighbors,  still  leads  a  separate  life,  the  specific  char- 
acter of  which  is  generally  different  in  the  different  parts 
of  the  nervous  system." 

This  description  goes  on  further  and  shows  how  the 
brain  is  simply  groups  of  cells,  each  group  having  charge 
of  their  particular  department  of  the  work;  and  that  dis- 
ease or  destruction  of  a  particular  place  or  part  of  the 
brain,  destroys  a  particular  faculty.  It  states : 

"Thus  disease  of  the  speech-centre,  in  the  third  frontal 
convolution,  destroys  the  power  of  speech ;  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  visual  region  (in  the  occipital  convolutions) 
does  away  with  the  power  of  sight;  the  lesion  of  the  tem- 
poral convolutions  destroys  hearing.  When  cells  in 
charge  of  the  work  are  destroyed  the  business  stops." 

Mr.  Haeckel  makes  the  following  statement  in  refer- 
ence to  the  basis  of  morality.  He  goes  on  to  show  how 
the  idea  of  morality  was  first  conceived  by  the  cells,  when 
they  began  to  work  together  for  the  common  good  of  all, 
that  is,  when  they  began  to  associate  themselves  into  com- 
munities, and  with  their  united  efforts  produced  those 
structures  we  call  plants  and  animals.  He  says : 

"We  find,  even  among  these  unicellulars  (first  pro- 
tophyta,  then  protozoa),  the  important  principle  which 
lies  at  the  base  of  morality,  association,  or  the  formation 
of  communities.  The  adaptation  of  the  united  cell-in- 
dividuals to  each  other  and  to  the  common  environment 
is  the  physiological  foundation  of  the  first  traces  of  moral- 
ity among  the  protists.  All  the  unicellulars  that  abandon 


218     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

their  isolated  eremitic  lives  and  unite  to  form  communi- 
ties, are  compelled  to  restrict  their  natural  egoism,  and 
make  concessions  to  altruism  in  the  common  interest. 
Even  in  the  globular  coenobia  of  volvox  and  magosphaera 
the  special  form  and  movement  and  mode  of  reproduction 
are  determined  by  the  compromise  between  the  egoistic 
instincts  of  the  individual  cells  and  the  altruistic  need  of 
the  community." 

This  great  German  scientist  has  got  his  mind  so  filled 
up  with  the  old  ideas  of  what  is  understood  by  intelligent 
beings,  that  he  can  not  get  his  mind  to  work  into  seeing 
the  possibility  of  a  microscopic  being  like  a  cell  possess- 
ing intelligence.  He  thinks  that  his  size  is  against  him. 
He  must  admit  that  the  cell  has  had  enough  intelligence 
to  build  up  the  intelligent  individual  known  as  Mr.  Haec- 
kel,  and  still  Mr.  Haeckel  will  claim  the  intelligence  him- 
self and  deny  it  to  his  maker.  The  following  description 
of  a  single  cell  and  of  those  just  beginning  to  associate 
themselves  together  in  communities  like  plants  and  ani- 
mals, is  from  a  textbook  on  zoology : 

"In  some  cells,  special  parts  are  covered  with  count- 
less hairs  or  cilia,  which  strike  the  water  in  a  uniform 
direction,  like  a  row  of  oars,  and  force  the  animal  for- 
ward. Thus  we  see  that  the  single  cell  is  capable  of  very 
different  adaptations  and  so  we  can  not  be  surprised  if 
the  cells  that  compose  the  higher  animals  assume  such 
enormously  different  forms.  In  the  protozoa,  the  one 
cell  discharges  all  the  vital  functions  of  locomotion,  nutri- 
tion, respiration  and  reproduction. 

"There  is  a  certain  animal  in  our  fresh  waters  called 
the  Pandorina.  It  consists  of  sixteen  cells,  all  homogen- 
eous, and  each  discharging  all  the  functions.  Each  can 
produce  the  animal  by  detaching  itself  from  the  cluster 
and  subdividing  until  it  makes  sixteen  cells.  Here  is  no 


INTELLIGENCE   OF   THE   CELL  219 

division  of  labor.  As  the  first  step  in  the  division  of  labor, 
we  might  suggest  the  volvox,  a  green  globule  about  the 
size  of  a  pin  head,  consisting  of  a  number  of  cells.  Most 
of  the  cells  in  this  animal  have  taken  charge  x)f  nutrition 
and  locomotion  and  a  few  others  of  reproduction." 

You  see  it  is  just  as  natural  for  these  individuals  to  see 
the  benefit  of  specializing,  as  it  is  for  us  to  let  each  one 
or  each  crowd  look  after  his  particular  line  of  work.  We 
never  stop  to  consider  all  the  different  matters  to  be 
looked  after  in  maintaining  a  plant  or  animal.  There  is 
the  simple  matter  of  keeping  the  animal  at  even  temper- 
ature, regardless  of  the  temperature  of  the  surrounding 
atmosphere ;  there  must  be  some  method  to  retain  or 
drive  out  the  heat  from  the  plant  or  animal.  The  follow- 
ing article  by  Mr.  Bastin  in  the  Scientific  American  is  in- 
teresting : 

"In  the  first  place  the  process  of  respiration  is  associ- 
ated with  considerable  liberation  of  heat,  as  in  germinat- 
ing seeds,  which  show  a  difference  of  2  degrees  Fahr.  in 
peas.  The  respiration  of  the  seeds  involves  the  taking 
in  of  oxygen  and  the  giving  out  of  carbon  dioxide,  the 
same  process  as  that  in  animals.  It  is  the  habit  of  the 
Alpine  plant,  Soldanmillas,  to  start  active  growth  early 
in  the  Spring  before  the  snow  goes  away,  yet  owing  to 
the  large  amount  of  heat  which  is  liberated  by  the  shoot- 
ing flower,  these  are  able  to  bear  their  way  up  through 
the  snow.  The  flower  stalks  are  very  slender  which  is 
simply  owing  to  the  heat  they  liberate  that  they  can  make 
their  way  through  the  snow  crust  which  is  generally  ex- 
ceedingly hard.  Where  the  snow  is  very  deep,  they  do 
not  reach  the  surface  at  all  but  expand  in  a  cavity  which 
they  have  thawed  out  in  shape  of  a  dome  where  they 
blossom  and  develope  their  pollen. 

"Experiments  have  shown  that  inside  the  spathe  of  the 


220   •  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

Brazilian  Delkciosa,  the  temperature  was  100  degrees 
Fahr.,  while  the  air  outside  was  78  degrees  Fahr.  Even 
more  astonishing  was  the  case  of  the  Arum  Italicum. 
Here,  when  the  outside  air  was  registered  at  60  degrees 
Fahr.  the  inside  of  the  spathe  showed  a  temperature  of 
110  degrees  Fahr.  The  temperature  of  a  plant,  like  that 
of  an  animal,  is  a  fairly  stable  feature.  No  matter  what 
the  external  conditions  may  be,  the  ordinary  temperature 
of  the  human  being  remains  at  about  98  degrees  Fahr., 
whether  living  in  the  tropical  or  arctic  regions.  It  is  the 
same  with  plants ;  the  long  spells  of  hot  dry  weather  in 
Australia  are  notorious,  but  however  scorching  the  sun 
may  be  the  sap  of  the  plants  remains  cool.  The  long 
roots  of  the  Eucalyptus  tree  are  tapped  for  their  cool  sap 
by  the  natives.  The  root  20  to  30  feet  running  in  6  inches 
of  baking  soil,  is  cool  and  delicious.  Melons  and  gourds 
of  all  kinds  are  astonishing  in  their  powers  of  keeping 
cool,  even  under  the  most  scorching  conditions.  In  the 
testing  of  the  temperature  in  a  fairly  strong  sun,  it  ran 
up  to  110  degrees  Fahr.,  yet  the  temperature  in  the  in- 
terior of  the  fruit  was  little  more  than  60  degrees.  The 
maintaining  of  the  temperature  in  the  plant  is  a  process 
which  is  directly  associated  with  the  life  of  the  specimen. 
The  coolness  of  the  gourd  remains  only  so  long  as  it  is 
attached  to  the  plant.  When  the  fruit  is  cut  it  rapidly 
becomes  the  same  temperature  as  the  atmosphere,  like 
any  other  object.  The  moisture  in  the  plant  can  not  be 
kept  cool  by  evaporation,  as  it  can  spare  no  water  but 
must  conserve  every  drop.  Everything  we  know  about  a 
plant  which  lives  in  a  dry  hot  climate  shows  that  all 
kinds  of  devices  are  employed  to  check  and  prevent  loss  of 
moisture.  The  loss  of  moisture  by  evaporation  through 
the  thick  skin  of  the  gourd  is  very  slight,  while  the 


INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE   CELL  221 

leathery  skin  of  the  others,  like  the  cacti,  hardly  transpires 
at  all." 

To  keep  the  human  body  in  an  even  temperature  and  to 
keep  the  plant  warm  enough  to  melt  the  snow  around  it, 
is  a  continuous  job,  requiring  great  skill.  The  cells  know 
how  to  create  heat  and  in  the  same  way  the  southern 
plant  knows  how  to  create  cold.  They  obtain  the- results 
but  in  different  ways. 

In  the  previous  article  from  the  school  physiology,  we 
noticed  that  the  cells  in  the  brain  although  they  were 
connected  together  in  a  mass,  still  retained  their  individ- 
ual separate  existence,  so  each  one  must  have  a  mind  of 
his  own.  Still,  all  working  together,  they  form  the  mind 
of  the  individual  in  the  same  way  as  all  the  combined 
will  of  a  nation  or  body  of  people  becomes  its  will ;  as 
for  instance  we  speak  of  the  will  of  the  Legislature,  or 
the  sentiment  or  mind  of  the  council,  public,  or  the  Ger- 
man people.  There  is  the  separate  mind  of  the  individual 
cell  and  the  combined  mind  of  the  body  or  brain.  The 
human  mind  or  brain  is  generally  considered  superior  to 
all  others,  by  reason  of  its  size.  Mr.  Haeckel  has  the 
following  to  say  about  the  brain  : 

"With  the  most  improved  means  of  modern  histology, 
the  most  perfect  microscopes  and  coloring  methods,  we 
are  only  just  beginning  to  penetrate  into  the  marvelous 
structure  of  the  phronetal  cells  and  their  complicated 
grouping.  Yet  we  have  advanced  far  enough  to  regard 
it  as  the  most  perfect  piece  of  cell-machinery  and  the 
highest  product  of  organic  evolution.  Millions  of  highly 
differentiated  phronetal  cells  form  the  several  stations  of 
this  telegraph  system,  and  thousands  of  millions  of  the 
finest  nerve-fibrils  represent  the  wires  which  connect  the 
stations  with  one  another  and  with  the  sense-centres  on 
the  one  hand,  and  with  the  motor  centres  on  the  other. 


222     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

Comparative  anatomy,  moreover,  acquaints  us  with  the 
long  and  gradual  development  which  the  phronema  has 
undergone  within  the  higher  class  of  the  vertebrates, 
from  the  amphibia  and  reptiles  up  to  the  birds  and  mam- 
mals, and,  within  the  last  class,  from  the  monotremes  and 
marsupials  up  to  the  apes  and  men.  The  human  brain 
seems  to  us  today  to  be  the  greatest  marvel  that  plasm, 
or  the  'living  substance,'  has  produced  in  the  course  of 
millions  of  years." 

You  notice  here  how  he  states  that  the  human  brain  is 
the  greatest  marvel  that  "plasm"  or  "living  substance" 
has  produced  in  the  course  of  millions  of  years.  Why  not 
call  them  cells  or  beings,  instead  of  such  nonsense  as 
"plasm"  and  "living  substance."  Those  words  are  not 
only  meaningless  but  misleading. 

There  is  no  difference  whatever  in  the  brain  of  the 
jackass  and  the  brain  of  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  except  that  one  contains  more  cells  than  the  other. 
The  cells  are  themselves  the  same  kind  and  size,  but  the 
human  brain  contains  more  of  the  individual  cells,  which 
gives  the  human  mind  or  brain  more  chance  or  power  to 
specialize  and  to  think  in  more  ways  and  on  a  larger 
number  of  subjects. 

There  is  no  question  but  that  this  extra  size  of  the 
brain  has  weakened  the  power  of  the  human  mind  to 
reason  and  think  in  a  general  way.  I  cut  the  following 
article  from  the  Kansas  City  Daily,  not  long  ago,  which 
should  give  one  some  food  for  thought : 

"Ten  years  in  the  federal  prison  at  Atlanta  was  the 
penalty  inflicted  upon  four  young  Navajo  Indians  of 
Arizona,  who  murdered  a  medicine  man,  Gi  Shin  Beta, 
because  they  believed  the  arts  he  practiced  upon  the  sick 
'were  shot  with  witchcraft  born  of  the  devil,'  resulting 
in  the  death  of  two  patients  who  never  recovered  from 


INTELLIGENCE  OF   THE   CELL  223 

the  uncanny  spell  cast  over  them.  The  murder  was  com- 
mitted by  order  of  the  chief  without  knowledge  or  fear 
of  the  white  man's  law  and  in  the  name  of  the  Great 
Spirit,  says  the  Fort  Worth  Star-Telegram. 

"Natani  Bezab,  Hoskay  Oho  Neeth,  Natch  We  No  and 
Bitsie  No  Dozio  were  found  guilty  after  a  trial  fraught 
with  difficulty  and  delay.  The  defendants  never  had 
learned  even  a  smattering  of  the  English  language,  mak- 
ing it  necessary  to  translate  every  question  and  answer. 
The  jury  consisted  of  white  men.  Bitsie  No  Dozio  did 
not  actively  participate  in  the  crime  and  was  told  by  the 
court  that  a  parole  or  pardon  would  be  recommended  for 
him  within  a  short  time. 

"A  young  woman  of  the  Navajo  tribe  was  afflicted  with 
tuberculosis.  Her  parents  sent  a  messenger  for  Gi  Shin 
Beta,  who  had  a  reputation  for  healing  the  sick  and  cast- 
ing out  devils.  He  had  also  a  black  spot  on  his  long 
record.  Four  years  ago  he  attended  a  young  woman  ill 
of  a  similar  disease  and  was  said  to  have  cast  a  spell  over 
her  from  which  she  never  recovered. 

"The  girl  was  found  in  a  dying  condition.  The  four 
men  charged  with  murder  waited  without  while  the 
treatment  was  being  administered.  The  medicine  man 
went  out  and  consulted  the  stars  when  he  noted  her  con- 
dition. Returning  he  said  that  he  had  seen  a  large  wheel 
in  the  heavens  and  two  men  shoveling  ashes  into  the 
center  of  it.  This  meant  that  there  was  no  hope  for  her 
recovery. 

"After  she  died  a  black  spot  was  found  over  her  heart, 
and  her  father  instantly  divined  that  the  medicine  man 
had  shot  an  arrow  of  witchcraft  through  her  body,  there- 
by causing  her  death.  He  consulted  his  friends  and  the 
belief  became  general  in  the  Indian  camps  that  Gi  Shin 
Beta  possessed  a  'body  full  of  devils.' 


224     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

"In  the  former  case  he  had  cast  over  the  young  woman 
a  spell  that  lasted  for  many  days.  He  was  importuned  to 
take  it  away,  but  he  steadfastly  refused,  holding  that  he 
had  no  power  to  do  it. 

"Another  medicine  man  was  called  and  after  examining 
the  girl,  he  confirmed  the  beliefs  of  other  Indians  that, 
could  the  spell  be  removed  the  girl  would  recover.  This 
was  recalled  and  Gi  Shin  Beta  was  informally  sentenced 
to  die.  Conforming  to  an  unwritten  law  of  the  tribe  and 
in  the  belief  that  they  were  doing  their  fellowmen  a 
justice,  the  four  young  Indian  braves  went  to  the  moun- 
tain lodge  of  Gi  Shin  Beta,  took  him  from  the  house  and 
killed  him  with  an  axe.  They  left  the  body  in  the  yard 
and  there  it  remained  for  several  hours.  A  friend  of  the 
four  came  along  later  and  rolled  it  into  a  ditch. 

"The  plea  of  H.  H.  Linney,  council  for  the  defendants, 
was  unique.  The  defendants,  he  said,  knew  not  what  they 
did.  They  were  following  a  wild  call  of  other  genera- 
tions of  their  kind, — not  the  Old  Testament  call  of  an  eye 
for  an  eye  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth,  but  the  call  that  rings 
in  behalf  of  society  and  the  peaceable  livlihood  of  those 
interested  in  the  welfare  of  their  kin  and  kind.  Linney 
declared  that  the  white  man  is  inconsistent  in  condemn- 
ing a  belief  in  witchcraft,  as  it  has  been  but  a  few  years 
comparatively  since  white  men  were  burned  at  the  stake 
by  their  own  kind  for  the  practice  of  witchcraft. 

"There  are  thousands  of  men  today  who  believe  that 
humans  are  possessed  of  the  power  to  cast  out  devils, 
Kinney  argued,  and  the  white  man  should  not  be  too 
prone  to  condemn  the  Indian  for  holding  such  a  belief. 
Religious  belief-  is  strong  in  all  mankind,  he  said,  and 
these  four  slayers  could  scarcely,  in  justice  to  their  be- 
lief, be  measured  by  the  tape  of  the  white  man's  law. 

"There  is  consternation  in  the  camps  of  the  Navajos. 


INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  CELL  225 

No  argument  that  their  simple  minds  can  conceive  justi- 
fies the  white  man  in  depriving  members  of  their  band 
of  their  liberty  for  doing  their  duty  as  patriotic  represen- 
tatives of  a  dwindling  tribe." 

What  right  have  we  to  interfere  with  the  religious 
beliefs  of  these  people,  when  we  believe  in  the  same  creed 
ourselves?  Christ  believed  in  it  and  practiced  it,  and  we 
believe  in  Christ.  Only  a  few  years  ago,  we,  the  intelli- 
gent citizens  of  America,  burned  our  mothers  and  sisters, 
in  the  belief  that  they  were  possessed  of  the  devil. 

In  accordance  with  the  Bible  quotation,  "Thou  shall 
not  suffer  a  witch  to  live,"  thousands  of  women  were 
burned  alive.  Such  highbrows  as  preachers,  judges  and 
statesmen  were  the  people  who  directed  the  work,  think- 
ing that  it  was  the  best  thing  and  the  fight  thing  to  be 
done.  Three-fourths  of  the  people  of  the  United  States 
are  just  as  silly  today  as  they  were  then.  What  has  man 
to  boast  of,  in  the  way  of  reasoning  powers? 

We  find  no  such  preposterous  and  foolish  actions  in 
any  animals  as  we  do  in  man.  There  is  of  course  prac- 
tically no  difference  in  the  mind  of  the  animals  and  man. 
This  fact  has  now  been  well  established  on  the  question 
as  to  the  origin  of  the  human  faculty.  Mr.  Romanes 
states,  in  substance  as  follows : 

"All  the  emotions  such  as  fear,  surprise,  affection,  pug- 
nacity, curiosity,  jealousy,  anger,  play,  sympathy,  emula- 
tion, pride,  resentment,  emotion  of  the  beautiful,  grief, 
hate,  cruelty,  benevolence,  and  the  emotion  of  the  ludi- 
crous, are  found  in  the  animal  mind." 

This  list  exhausts  all  the  human  emotions,  with  the 
exception  of  those  which  refer  to  religion,  moral  sense 
and  perception  of  the  sublime.  Romanes  states  that: 
"The  emotional  life  of  animals  is  so  strikingly  similar  to 
the  emotional  life  of  man,  and  especially  young  children, 


226     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

that  I  think  the  similarity  ought  fairly  to  be  taken  as 
direct  evidence  of  a  genetic  continuity  between  them. 

"And  so  it  is  with  regard  to  instincts, — such  as  have 
reference  to  nutrition,  self  preservation,  reproduction  and 
rearing  of  progeny." 

No  one  will  venture  to  dispute  the  fact  that  all  these 
instincts  are  identical  with  those  which  we  observe  in 
the  lower  animals.  Language  has  arisen  from  sign  mak- 
ing, etc.  As  man  has  come  up  thru  the  same  stages  of 
development  as  the  other  animals,  and  as  only  a  few  cen- 
turies ago  he  lived  the  life  of  an  animal  as  animals  live 
today,  it  is  only  natural  that  his  thinking  organization 
would  be  on  the  same  plan,  and  that  he  would  have  the 
same  nerve  centres,  which  would  produce  the  same  ac- 
tions and  emotions. 

Haeckel,  describing  the  brain  or  thinking  machinery  of 
man  states :  "The  phronema  is  the  organ  of  thought  in 
the  same  sense  in  which  we  consider  the  eye  the  organ 
of  vision,  or  the  heart  the  central  organ  of  circulation. 
With  the  destruction  of  the  organ  its  function  disappears. 

Between  these  central  organs  of  sense  lie  the  intellec- 
tual or  thought  organs,  the  instruments  of  presentation 
and  thought,  judgment  and  consciousness,  intellect  and 
reason ;  they  are  called  thought-centres,  or  association 
centres,  because  the  various  impressions  received  from 
the  sense  centres  are  associated,  combined  and  united  in 
harmonious  thought  by  them." 

Then  in  another  place  he  makes  the  following  state- 
ment, showing  how  the  human  mind  is  deceived  and 
tangled  up  with  all  kinds  of  foolish  ideas : 

"Modern  spook-seeking  has  no  more  value  than  me- 
diaeval magic,  babalism,  astrology,  necromancy,  dream- 
interpretation,  and  invocation  of  the  devil.  We  must  put 
at  the  same  stage  of  superstition  the  spiritism  aad  occult- 


INTELLIGENCE  OF   THE   CELL  227 

ism  we  find  mentioned  so  much  in  modern  literature. 
There  are  always  thousands  of  credulous  folk  in  educated 
countries  who  are  taken  in  by  the  performances  of  the 
spiritualists  and  their  media,  and  are  ready  to  believe  the 
unbelievable.  Spirit-rapping,  table-turning,  spirit-writing, 
the  materialization  and  photographing  of  deceased  souls, 
find  credit,  not  only  among  the  uneducated  masses,  but 
even  among  the  most  cultured,  and  sometimes  among 
imaginative  scientists." 

It  is  necessary  to  call  the  attention  of  the  reader  to 
these  facts  and  conditions  to  show  what  the  human  men- 
tal machinery  really  is. 

The  conjugation  of  the  single  cells  living  a  separate 
life  is  described  by  Binet,  as  follows : 

"Nevertheless,  the  two  Stentors  continue  to  be  united 
for  a  certain  length  of  time  by  a  bridge  of  matter,  located 
even  with  the  point  where  the  contraction  took  place ; 
.this  bridge  of  matter  gradually  grows  thinner  and  thin- 
ner and  becomes  as  fine  as  a  thread.  Now  Gruber  has 
observed  that  the  two  Stentors  united  by  this  bridge  of 
protoplasm  exhibit  perfect  harmony  in  their  movements ; 
they  always  sway  in  the  same  direction  at  the  same  time ; 
and  this  harmony  is  necessary,  because  the  least  con- 
trariety of  motion  would  suffice  to  break  the  feeble  bond 
that  unites  them.  Moreover,  their  vibratile  cilia  beat  in 
unison.  To  explain  this  concordance  in  the  movements 
of  the  two  animals,  Gruber  assumes  that  the  entire  mass 
of  their  protoplasm  performs  the  function  of  a  diffused 
nervous  system,  which  has  the  effect  of  regulating  their 
movements  and  of  making  them  harmonize." 

Just  note  the  actions  described  here,  and  the  opinion 
that  these  actions  indicate  a  nervous  system.  Now  it  does 
not  make  any  difference  what  they  have  or  what  you 
call  it,  we  must  admit  that  they  show  intelligence  of  a 


228     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

high  order.  We  have  no  microscope  at  this  time  power- 
ful enough  to  see  the  individual  or  primordial  beings, 
that  make  up  the  individual  we  call  cell,  but  we  can 
clearly  see  the  actions  and  methods  of  the  cell,  and  I  wish 
the  human  mind  to  understand  this  proposition  right  and 
acknowledge  the  intelligence  of  his  maker,  the  cell. 

Mr.  Haeckel  gives  him  a  name,  as  if  he  had  no  more 
intelligence  than  a  stone,  calls  him  a  "plasm"  or  "living 
matter."  Later  in  his  book,  he  gives  a  description  of  him 
in  a  different  light  and  compares  his  acts  of  special  pro- 
gress, with  those  of  man.  He  makes  the  following  state- 
ment: 

"We  need  only  to  glance  back  half  a  century,  and  com- 
pare life  today  with  what  it  was  then,  in  order  to  realize 
the  progress  made.  If  we  regard  the  modern  state  as  an 
elaborate  organism  (a  'social  individual  of  the  first 
order'),  and  compare  its  citizens  to  the  cells  of  a  higher 
tissue-animal,  the  difference  between  the  state  of  today 
and  the  crudest  family  groups  of  savages  is  not  less  than 
that  between  a  higher  metazoon  (such  as  a  vertebrate) 
and  a  coenobium  of  protozoa. 

"The  progressive  division  of  labor,  on  the  one  hand, 
and  the  centralization  of  society,  on  the  other,  prepare 
the  social  body  for  higher  functions  than  in  isolation,  and 
proportionately  increase  the  worth  of  its  life.  To  see 
this  more  clearly,  let  us  compare  the  personal  and  social 
value  of  life  in  the  five  chief  fields  of  vital  activity, — 
nutrition,  reproduction,  movement,  sensation,  and  mental 
life." 

Now  if  the  cell  has  gone  through  the  same  process  as 
man  in  gradually  learning,  discovering  and  taking  ad- 
vantage of  the  benefits  of  social  life,  why  has  he  not  done 
so  by  reason  of  his  intelligence,  just  as  man  has. 


INTELLIGENCE  OF   THE   CELL  229 

One  writer  describes  the  actions  of  the  mental  machin- 
ery of  man,  in  the  following  language : 

"The  physiologist,  as  a  physicist,  observes  how  a  beam 
of  light,  a  wave  of  sound,  or  a  vibration  of  heat  affects  the 
organs  of  sensation ;  how  they  enter  the  nerves,  are  trans- 
formed into  an  irritation  of  the  nerve-fibers  and  conducted 
to  the  brain  cells.  Here  he  loses  all  trace  of  them. 

"On  the  other  hand,  he  observes  a  spoken  word  coming 
from  the  mouth  of  a  speaking  person ;  he  sees  the  person 
move  his  limbs,  and  finds  these  movements  are  caused 
by  muscular  contractions  produced  through  motor  nerves 
irritated  by  the  nerve-cells  of  the  central  organs.  Here 
again  he  is  at  his  wit's  end.  The  bridge  which  should 
lead  him  from  the  irritated  sensory  nerve  to  the  irritated 
motor  nerve,  is  indicated  in  the  labyrinthian  connections 
of  the  nerve-cells,  but  he  lacks  a  clue  to  the  infinitely 
involved  processes  which  are  interposed  in  this  place." 

Now  the  actions  of  any  submarine  would  seem  just  as 
mysterious  if  we  did  not  realize  the  fact  that  the  in- 
dividual itself,  which  we  call  submarine,  was  in  charge  of 
intelligent  beings,  which  are  directing  its  actions  and 
course  according  to  the  information  that  it  receives  from 
the  outside  world. 

Just  think  of  the  busy  life  inside  of  the  animal  or 
human  individual.  The  heart  and  circulating  system 
causes  a  continuous  supply  of  nourishment  and  oxygen 
to  every  individual  cell.  It  is  the  cells  in  the  animal  that 
must  have  oxygen  and  food,  not  the  animal.  In  the  same 
way  with  the  submarine,  it  is  the  people  that  occupy  it 
and  run  it  that  must  have  the  food  and  air.  Think  of  the 
thousands  of  orders,  going  to  the  storage  tank  we  call 
the  stomach,  for  material  to  repair  this  and  that.  Think 
of  the  millions  of  chemists,  one  making  gastric  juice,  one 
bile,  one  saliva,  one  tears,  one  this  and  one  that.  Think  of 


230          CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

the  millions  continually  carrying  food  and  oxygen,  and 
the  millions  carrying  away  waste  matter.  Think  of  the 
millions  on  guard  and  duty  night  and  day  as  superin- 
tendents and  questioning  all  suspicious  characters  and 
killing  enemies.  Nothing  like  this  order  and  method  can 
be  equaled  in  the  social  communities  of  man. 

We  must  come  back  again  to  the  consideration  of  the 
ciliated  cells  that  live  single  separate  lives  in  the  water. 
The  following  is  a  description  of  the  actions  of  those  cells 
by  Mr.  Binet : 

"In  case  of  the  hunter  ciliates  proper,  the  mouth  is 
constantly  closed.  The  act  of  absorbing  each  object  cap- 
tured is  accomplished  by  the  process  of  deglutition  com- 
parable in  every  phase  to  the  like  process  in  higher 
animals.  Furthermore,  these  species  feed  only  upon  liv- 
ing prey,  which  they  capture  and  entrammel  by  means  of 
their  trichocysts.  By  this  very  act  they  exercise  a  choice 
in  the  selection  of  food. 

"These  hunter-Infusoria  are  constantly  running  about 
in  quest  of  prey;  they  move  rapidly  hither  and  thither, 
changing  their  direction  every  moment,  with  the  part  of 
the  body  bearing  the  battery  of  trichocysts  held  in  ad- 
vance. When  chance  has  brought  them  in  contact  with 
a  victim,  they  let  fly  their  darts  and  crush  it ;  at  this  point 
of  the  action  they  go  through  certain  manoeuvres  that  are 
prompted  by  a  guiding  will.  It  very  seldom  happens  that 
the  shattered  victim  remains  motionless  after  direct  colli- 
sion with  the  mouth  of  its  assailant.  The  hunter  accord- 
ingly, slowly  makes  his  way  about  the  scene  of  action, 
turning  both  right  and  left  in  search  of  his  lifeless  prey. 
This  search  lasts  a  minute  at  the  most,  after  which,  if  not 
successful  in  finding  his  victim,  he  starts  off  once  more  to 
the  chase  and  resumes  his  irregular  and  roving  course." 

How  do  these  actions  compare  with  the  actions  of  man 


INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  CELL  231 

when  he  is  hunting?  Still  our  great  German  philosopher, 
like  all  other  scientists,  calls  this  being,  this  intelligent 
hunter  who  makes  his  own  weapons,  with  which  he  is 
able  to  kill  his  victim  at  'a  distance,  only  a  "plasm"  or 
"living  matter." 

We  never  have  time  in  our  busy  lives  to  stop  and  con- 
sider all  the  wonderful  things  which  take  place  in  the 
living  world  around  us.  The  acts  of  insects  are  simply 
astonishing.  I  read  the  following  in  my  Sunday  paper 
the  other  day,  which  mentions  a  few  of  their  perform- 
ances : 

"David  Fairchild,  the  plant  explorer,  has  discovered 
that  the  champion  athlete  and  aeronaut  of  the  insect 
world  is  the  king  grasshopper.  It  can  jump  one  hundred 
times  its  own  length,  and  has  been  known  to  sail  for  one 
thousand  miles  before  the  wind. 

"The  carrying  power  of  the  song  of  the  cricket  is  extra- 
ordinary. There  are  species  whose  strident  notes  can  be 
heard  for  a  mile,  although  their  bodies  are  scarcely  more 
than  an  inch  in  length.  The  males  alone  are  musical. 

"Of  all  creatures  in  our  houses,  the  cockroach  is  the 
most  detested.  Housewives  may  be  surprised  to  learn 
that  a  cockroach  can  live  five  years,  and  that  it  takes  a 
year  to  develope  to  maturity.  The  female  lays  her  eggs 
in  a  horny  capsule  like  a  spectacle  case,  which  she  carries 
about  with  her  until  she  is  ready  to  deposit  it  in  some 
suitable  place.  Later  she  returns  to  help  her  baby  cock- 
roaches out  of  their  shells. 

"The  song  of  the  cicada  is  the  noisiest  in  the  insect 
world.  The  seventeen-year  cicada  has  been  called  the 
Rip  Van  Winkle  of  the  insect  world.  From  its  tiny  eggs 
there  issues  a  creature  with  soft  white  body  and  mole- 
like  front  legs.  -  It  hurries  to  the  ground  and  disappears 
beneath  its  surface,  sometimes  to  thp  deoth  nf  twenty 


232     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

feet.  For  seventeen  years  it  digs  its  way  around  in 
absolute  darkness,  and  then  comes  to  the  surface  to  join 
in  a  marriage  revelry  of  a  few  weeks.  It  is  a  full-fledged 
creature  of  the  air,  though  encased  still  in  grave  clothes 
of  parchment;  but  it  soon  splits  these  up  the  back,  pulls 
itself  out,  dries  its  powerful  wings  and  flies  away  with 
the  whirr  of  an  aerodrome  to  live  but  a  few  weeks." 

Certain  fish  have  a  habit  of  catching  insects  by  squirt- 
ing water  on  them  so  they  will  fall  off  the  plants  into  the 
water. 

Squirrels  gather  food  for  winter  and  hide  it,  but  can 
always  find  the  graneries  despite  the  deep  snow.  A  rat 
in  Siberia,  the  Sagonies  Pica,  gathers  grass  in  the  fall 
which  it  will  need  in  the  winter;  and  one  observer  states 
that  like  any  farmer  he  spreads  it  out  to  dry  in  the  sun, 
then  collects  it  in  ricks  which  it  shelters  from  rain  and 
snow. 

The  crested  Grebe  makes  a  raft  which  floats  for  a  nest, 
and  i.f  you  get  too  near  it,  will  push  it  away  from  you  by 
paddling,  as  you  would  a  boat. 

I  could  go  on  indefinitely  describing  these  different 
actions  of  animals,  showing  that  all  animals,  including 
man  and  the  insects,  are  intelligent  beings.  They  appear 
to  us  to  be  possessed  of  different  degrees  of  intelligence, 
but  the  fact,  is  that  the  one  who  may  appear  the  most 
stupid  may  be  the  most  skillful  in  the  particular  line  of 
work  which  concerns  him  and  his  well  being,  in  that 
particular  place  in  life  where  he  exists. 

Wherein  do  the  actions  of  animals  that  watch  and  pur- 
sue their  prey,  lay  snares  for  it,  like  the  spider,  and 
devour  it,  differ  from  the  actions  of  man,  when  he  hunts 
and  does  the  same  things?  Wherein  do  the  actions  by 
which  the  animal  hides  itself,  avoids  the  snares  laid  for 
it,  invents  deceptions  for  its  defense,  differ  from  the 


INTELLIGENCE  OF   THE   CELL  233 

actions  of  man,  now  taking  place  in  this  war?  Man  acts 
for  an  end,  so  do  animals.  However,  we  must  not  forget 
that  the  real  actors  are  the  cells,  in  the  same  manner  that 
the  real  actors  in  the  submarine  are  the  men  inside. 

When  we  see  a  man  building  a  house,  painting  a  pic- 
ture, or  digging  a  ditch  we  know  that  the  man  is  working 
with  a  desire,  an  idea  or  purpose.  We  can  not  read  the 
internal  actions  of  his  mind  but  we  know  from  our  ex- 
perience what  the  facts  are,  from  our  own  mind.  It  is 
not  even  necessary  to  see  the  man  do  the  work.  The 
work  itself  is  proof  positive  of  an  idea  or  purpose. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  every  work  or  product  based 
upon  an  idea  or  purpose  can  be  caused  only  by  intelligence 
and  not  by  chance.  The  actions  of  man  and  animals  are 
for  a  purpose.  When  the' cell  in  his  single  state  makes  his 
dart  with  which  to  kill  other  cells,  it  is  clear  that  he  is 
working  with  an  idea  or  purpose.  When  he  shoots  his 
dart  at  another  cell,  he  clearly  does  so  with  a  purpose 
and  with  an  idea  that  he  is  going  to  kill  and  have  some- 
thing to  eat.  We  see  in  cells  of  both  animals  and  man, 
actions  identical.  They  are  all  the  same  kind,  and  for  a 
purpose.  I  shall  have  to  describe  all  these  different 
things,  so  the  reader  can  determine  for  himself. 

I  am  here  to  defend  the  cell,  to  show  that  he  is  pos- 
sessed of  judgment  and  understanding,  that  he  does 
nothing  blindly.  His  existence  still  with  us  as  a  single 
cell  is  proof  certain  that  he  has  a  mind  possessed  of 
extraordinary  resources,  to  be  able  to  combat  cold,  hun- 
ger, death  and  all  the  elements  and  enemies  of  living 
matter,  or  else  he  would  not  be  in  existence  today. 

Our  limited  intellect  is  not  a  competent  tribunal  to 
pass  judgment  on  the  cell  and  his  actions, — on  one  who 
has  produced  all  the  wonderful  structures  that  have  ex- 
isted in  the  past  history  of  our  planet.  His  works  in  the 


234     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

past  and  today  are  beyond  our  comprehension.  The  idea 
of  a  true  intellect  in  anything  outside  of  ourselves,  and 
especially  in  a  microscopic  being  seems  absurd  to  some 
people.  However,  when  we  study  the  actions  of  the  cell 
swimming  in  the  water,  or  the  cell  in  our  brain  doing 
our  thinking,  we  are  studying  the  same  individual,  but 
in  different  situations  in  life. 

The 'cell  in  the  man's  brain  occupies  the  same  place  as 
the  superintendent  of  a  large  railroad,  while  the  single 
cell  in  the  water  occupies  the  same  place  as  the  savage 
who  still  roams  the  forest  and  hunts  for  a  living.  Each 
one  understands  his  work  in  life,  and  each  one  acts  with 
a  purpose. 

A  most  wonderful  experiment  to  test  and  prove  that 
every  cell  of  the  body  has  intelligence,  as  well  as  the 
brain  cells,  can  be  made  with  the  decapitated  frog  or 
headless  frog.  I  have  tried  it  myself  several  times.  Prof. 
James  describes  it  as  follows : 

"As  good  an  instance  as  can  be  given  is  the  often  quoted 
instance  of  the  decapitated  frog,  which  can  not  of  course 
see  or  feel,  and  can  not  consciously  perform  any  move- 
ment. Yet  if  a  drop  of  acid  is  placed  on  the  lower  surface 
of  the  thigh  of  the  frog  in  this  state,  it  will  rub  off  the 
drop  with  the  upper  surface  of  the  foot  of  the  same  leg; 
if  this  foot  be  cut  off,  it  can  not  thus  act.  After  some 
fruitless  efforts  it  gives  up  trying  in  that  way,  seems 
restless,  as  though  it  was  seeking  some  other  way,  and  at 
last  it  makes  use  of  the  foot  of  the  other  leg  and  suc- 
ceeds in  rubbing  off  the  acid.  Notably  here  we  have  not 
merely  contractions  of  muscles  but  combined  and  har- 
monized contractions  in  due  sequence  for  a  special  pur- 
pose. These  are  actions  that  have  all  appearances  of 
being  guided  by  intelligence,  and  instigated  by  will,  in 


INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  CELL  235 

an  animal,  the  recognized  organ  of  whose  intelligence 
and  will  has  been  removed." 

This  instance  and  many  similar  show  that  will  and 
intelligence  are  everywhere  in  the  body,  and  that  the 
brain  is  not  the  only  place  where  it  is  found.  The  brain 
cells  have  been  removed,  but  as  all  cells  of  the  body  are 
thinkers  and  intelligent,  other  cells  take  their  place  and 
give  orders. 

And  as  I  said  before  it  requires  intelligence  to  obey 
instructions  promptly,  as  well  as  to  give  instructions. 
The  cells  that  contracted  the  frog's  muscles  and  lifted  the 
foot  to  the  right  spot  and  moved  it  from  place  to  place, 
so  as  to  remove  the  acid,  required  just  as  much  intelli- 
gence as  the  cells  that  ordered  the  muscles  to  do  it.  It 
required  knowledge,  skill  and  intelligent  execution,  to  be 
effective.  I  do  not  see  how  a  more  conclusive  test  could 
be  made.  These  actions  will  also  take  place  in  other 
animals  with  the  head  removed.  Think  of  the  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  cells  involved  in  the  act  of  lifting  the 
leg  and  making  it  rub  off  the  acid.  So  I  claim  that  each 
and  all  of  the  cells  of  the  body  are  possessed  of  intelli- 
gence just  as  the  original  cell  which  started  the  con- 
struction of  the  body. 

Under  our  discussion  in  a  previous  chapter  of  what  life 
really  is,  we  found  that  it  is  not  any  of  the  chemical  or 
physical  forces  that  we  are  acquainted  with  at  the  present 
time,  but  that  the  life  force  is  in  the  being  we  call  a  cell ; 
that  this  life  force  distinguishes  itself  from  all  other 
forces  in  this,  that  it  is  able  to  direct  and  make  use  of  the 
other  forces  in  nature,  like  electricity,  gravitation,  the 
movements  of  water  and  wind,  heat,  cold,  light  and  the 
different  kinds  of  chemical  action.  Certain  kinds  of  cells 
that  are  produced  by  the  clover-plant  understand  how  to 
extract  the  nitrogen  from  the  air  and  store  it  away  for 


236     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

future  use.  One  of  the  greatest  chemical  discoveries  and 
inventions  of  the  age  was  the  secret  of  extracting  nitro- 
gen from  the  air  by  electricity.  Why  does  this  act  by 
man  prove  him  to  be  any  more  intelligent  than  the  cell, 
which  lives  in  the  clover-plant  and  performs  this  same 
act? 

The  most  important  power  or  knowledge  that  certain 
kinds  of  cells  possess,  is  the  power  of  making  starch  and 
different  kinds  of  materials  which  we  call  carbohydrates 
and  fats  from  the  raw  material  of  soil,  air  and  water.  All 
the  cells  which  build  plants  have  this  power,  but  in  order 
to  do  this  they  must  have  sunlight.  The  cells  who  have 
this  power  have  also  a  speck  which  resembles  an  eye. 
These  cells  nourish  themselves  by  making  starch  with 
sunlight,  so  if  they  are  deprived  of  the  sun's  rays,  they 
can  not  make  their  food  and  thus  starve  to  death.  These 
cells  that  understand  how  to  make  starch  from  the  air, 
earth  and  water,  have  a  special  organ  for  this  purpose, 
which  the  other  cells  do  not  have.  This  organ  is  called  the 
chlorophyl  pigment  or  chromatophore.  These  cells  carry 
a  tiny  chemical  laboratory  with  them,  with  which  they 
change  a  crude  substance  into  a  finished  product  like 
starch  which  they  use  for  food.  It  is  a  singular  thing  that 
they  should  use  the  same  substance  for  food  that  we  do. 
These  cells  that  carry  a  starch  factory  with  them  have 
also  an  eye.  In  regard  to  this,  one  observer  states : 

"If  flagellates  possessing  chromatophores,  that  is  organs 
generating  starch,  have  ocular  spots  at  the  same  time,  it 
is  because  these  rudimentary  eyes  enable  them  to  find 
their  way  towards  the  light,  which  is  the  necessary  agent 
of  chlorophyl  action.  Accordingly  all  micro-organisms 
having  eyes  nourish  themselves  as  plants  do.  In  their 
case,  the  object  of  the  eye  is  to  direct  the  performance  ot 
a  vegetable  function. 


INTELLIGENCE  OF   THE   CELL  237 

"In  the  case  of  the  euglenae,  the  chromatophores  are 
formed  of  small  discoid  plates ;  they  are  situated  directly 
under  the  cuticle,  so  that  the  light  can  act  upon  them. 

"In  certain  species  of  flagellata,  they  are  exhibited  un- 
der the  cuticle  in  the  form  of  two  large  plates  which  en- 
velop the  protoplasm  like  a  cuirass  formed  of  two  pieces." 

We  have  to  admit  that  we  do  not  know  yet  by  what 
process  of  alchemy  the  crude  material  of  earth,  air  and 
water  are  combined  or  transformed  into  starch,  but  we  see 
that  it  takes  place.  Only  to  those  cells  that  depend  on 
that  method  of  making  a  living  is  the  secret  known,  and 
the  secret  is  passed  along  as  the  common  knowledge  from 
generation  to  generation. 

In  late  years  there  have  been  some  discoveries  in  refer- 
ence to  the  chemical  effect  of  sunlight  on  different  kinds  of 
matter.  The  heat  or  electric  energy  in  sunlight  is  evi- 
dently used  by  the  cell  to  start  a  certain  molecular  activ- 
ity in  matter  which  molecular  activity  the  cell  is  able  to 
direct  to  form  the  different  chemical  compounds  wanted. 
This  photo  chemistry,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  is  be- 
lieved by  some  now  to  be  an  electric  energy.  I  read  the 
following  interesting  article  in  regard  to  it  some  time  ago, 
in  the  Scientific  American : 

"The  subject  of  Photo  Chemistry  is  one  about  which 
comparatively  little  is  known ;  while  the  application  to 
ordinary  photography  is  well  understood,  the  theory  that 
leads  to  the  chemical  action  of  light  is  far  from  being  per- 
fectly comprehended.  The  chemical  action  of  sunlight, 
such  as  that  shown  in  the  bleaching  process  and  blue 
printing  has  been  known  for  a  long  time.  Recent  investi- 
gations have  taught  us  that  numerous  compounds  are 
sensitive  to  light,  and  convinced  us  that  we  are  dealing 
with  a  mutual  action  between  ether  vibrations  and  chem- 
ical force,  but  it  takes  place  only  in  special  cases,  as  light 


238     CELL,  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

is  considered  to  be  the  vibration  of  ether.  When  the 
ether  vibrations  traverse  any  material,  they  produce  two 
different  results  :  First,  they  raise  the  temperature ;  sec- 
ond, they  occasion  chemical  energy.  The  first  is  called 
absorption  of  light,  the  second  chemical  change.  Gases, 
liquids  and  solids  all  respond  to  ether  vibrations,  such  as 
the  explosive  mixture  of  hydrogen  and  chlorine,  chlorine 
water,  which  gives  up  oxygen,  and  phosphorous  which 
changes  to  red,  or  cinabar  which  turns  to  black.  Now, 
what  is  the  cause  of  these  light  vibrations? 

"The  latest  authorities  maintain  that  light  vibrations 
are  produced  by  electric  agitations,  and  that  in  the  chem- 
ical action  of  light  we  deal  with  phenomena  not  far  re- 
moved from  the  formation  and  decomposition  of  com- 
pounds under  the  influence  of  the  galvanic  current. 

"The  action  of  light  waves  (according  to  latest  theo- 
ries) are  the  rapidly  alternating  electric  fields.  From  these 
conclusions  we  may  assume  that  the  ultimate  cause  of  the 
photo-chemical  action  of  light  lies  in  electric  phenomena." 

The  most  common  and  abundant  single  cell  that  we 
have  in  our  ponds  and  lakes  which  makes  its  own  starch 
or  food,  is  the  cell  called  euglena.  This  is  what  you 
might  call  a  minute  invisible  green  plant.  These  Euglenas 
are  again  eaten  by  other  cells  that  do  not  understand  how 
to  make  starch  for  food.  The  Euglena  is  known  as  the 
green  scum  of  sewers,  lakes,  ponds,  streams  and  muddy 
places.  As  soon  as  it  finds  itself  in  darkness  or  light  too 
weak  to  aid  it  in  its  starch-making  activities  it  moves  into 
a  better  light.  Euglenas  are  cigar  shaped  with  a  tail  for 
a  propeller,  which  works  like  a  cork  screw.  The  starch 
factory  is  carried  at  the  front  end.  Under  the  microscope 
these  creatures  can  be  seen  gathering  together  at  certain 
places  where  the  light  is  not  too  weak  nor  too  strong, 
generally  about  two  or  three  inches  under  the  water. 


INTELLIGENCE  OF   THE   CELL  239 

They  are  able  to  distinguish  between  the  different  shades 
of  light.  They  move  about  up  and  down  until  they  get 
into  just  that  degree  of  light  which  seems  to  them  about 
right,  and  then  remain  as  nearly  stationary  as  possible, 
and  while  in  such  position,  cause  their  starch  machinery 
to  work  full  speed. 

It  is  clear  that  this  cell  can  see,  although  his  eyes  have 
not  yet  been  discovered.  It  has  the  motor  apparatus,  with 
which  it  is  able  to  go  to  the  place  where  it  can  obtain 
energy  from  the  sun  with  which  to  run  its  starch  factory. 
It  has  a  mind  with  a  will  to  go  to  the  place  when  and 
where  it  is  necessary  to  go.  It  has  the  skill  to  run  the 
starch  factory.  It  has  the  keen  sense  to  distinguish  and 
discover  when  it  is  in  the  right  position  and  place  where 
the  radiant  energy  of  the  sun  is  not  too  weak  or  too  strong 
for  it  to  operate  its  starch  machine  in  the  proper  manner. 
Thus  we  see  life  is  not  sunlight,  heat,  cold  nor  electricity 
nor  any  other  of  the  forces  of  nature,  with  which  we  are 
acquainted.  All  life  that  we  see  such  as  plants  and  ani- 
mals, is  caused  by  intelligent  acts  of  the  cell.  These  in- 
telligent beings  are  able  to  take  advantage  of  all  these 
different  forces  of  nature  and  turn  them  into  some  useful 
purpose  for  themselves.  They  understand  how  to  effect 
chemical  combinations  of  crude  matter,  like  earth,  air  and 
water,  so  as  to  mould  them  into  such  structures  as  they 
need  for  food  building  material  or  for  other  defensive  pur- 
poses. 

The  sun's  heat  is  a  wonderful  kind  of  energy  with 
which  to  effect  chemical  changes  in  matter.  The  cells 
have  had  a  chance  to  experiment  with  this  energy  for  mil- 
lions of  years  and  they  have  discovered  how  to  set  up 
molecular  disturbances  and  activities  in  matter  and  to 
direct  the  actions  of  atoms  and  molecules,  so  as  to  be  able 


240    CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

to  effect  any  particular  molecular  combination  of  matter 
they  wish. 

All  plant  and  animal  cells  know  how  to  use  sunlight 
for  making  the  different  kinds  of  building  material  which 
they  may  need.  The  tree  must  have  an  outside  covering 
so  with  the  energy  of  sunlight,  the  cells  who  occupy  it 
make  what  we  call  bark  from  the  crude  material  taken 
from  earth,  air  and  water.  Heat  is  required  to  start  chem- 
ical action.  The  sun  is  usually  the  only  source  of  heat  at 
the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  it  was  the  most  natural  thing 
that  the  cell  should  discover  methods  to  utilize  this  power. 
Just  think  what  a  discovery  it  would  be,  if  the  human  race 
should  discover  this  method  of  making  starch  or  other 
fibers  from  earth,  air  and  water ! 

Since  we  have  already  discovered  the  secret  of  extract- 
ing free  nitrogen  and  a  number  of  other  chemicals  from 
the  air,  which  was  known  only  to  a  few  species  of  cells  a 
few  years  ago,  why  should  we  not  in  time  discover  this 
most  important  secret  of  all,  how  to  make  starch  and  fats 
from  crude  matter?  We  can  not  hope  to  learn  how  to  do 
these  things  by  merely  observing  the  actions  of  the  cell. 
Our  eyes  are  made  to  see  things  a  thousand  times  larger. 
We  are  living  in  a  different  world.  However,  it  is  a  chem- 
ical secret  and  it  can  be  discovered  by  experimental  work. 
We  see  in  this  microscopic  wonder  who  makes  food  for 
himself  and  also  for  us,  the  same  living  being  as  ourself. 
He  is  a  composition  of  intelligence  and  matter,  race  and 
individual,  life  and  death,  past  and  future,  all  gathered  to- 
gether in  one,  just  as  it  is  in  us. 

We  see  that  the  matter  of  size  makes  no  difference. 
How  many  ages  did  the  cell  live  singly  and  separately  in 
the  world,  in  this  manner,  making  its  own  food,  before  it 
learned  to  associate  itself  into  communities  like  plants 
and  animals?  When  we  consider  the  old  ruins  left  in  the 


INTELLIGENCE  OF   THE   CELL  241 

earth's  crust,  of  all  the  different  animal  and  plant  struc- 
tures which  were  at  one  time  the  abode  of  the  cell,  we 
get  an  idea  of  the  vast  experience  and  work  of  the  cell, 
and  the  tremendous  age  of  this  planet. 

We  must  now  consider  the  actions  of  plants.  A  plant 
is  a  stationary  abode,  so  constructed  that  its  occupants 
can  get  out  into  the  sunlight  in  the  summer  and  make  up 
the  different  building  material  and  food  that  it  may  need. 
Trees  generally  build  temporary  structures  for  the  season, 
called  leaves,  where  they  get  the  use  of  the  sunlight. 
When  they  get  a  "hunch"  that  winter  is  coming,  they 
scurry  back  into  the  tree,  cut  the  leaves  loose  and  close 
up  the  connections.  Some  plants  climb  up  the  sides  of 
other  plants  and  structures.  They  build  out  tendrils  with 
which  they  grasp  hold  of  other  plants  and  attach  them- 
selves permanently. 

In  reference  to  these  moving,  grasping,  highly  sensitive 
plants,  Darwin  has  this  to  say : 

"We  see  how  high  in  the  scale  of  organization  a  plant 
may  arise,  when  we  look  at  one  of  the  more  perfect  ten- 
dril bearers.  It  first  places  its  tendrils  ready  for  action, 
as  a  polypus  places  its  tentacula.  If  the  tendril  be  dis- 
placed, it  is  acted  upon  by  the  force  of  gravity  and  rights 
itself;  it  is  acted  on  by  the  light  and  bends  towards  or 
from  it,  or  disregards  it,  whichever  may  be  most  advan- 
tageous. During  several  days  the  tendrils  spontaneously 
revolve  with  a  steady  motion.  The  tendril  strikes  some 
object  and  quickly  curls  around  and  firmly  grasps  it.  In 
the  course  of  some  hours  it  contracts  into  a  spire,  drag- 
ging up  the  stem  and  forming  an  excellent  spring.  All 
movements  now  cease,  by  growth  the  tissues  soon  be- 
come wonderfully  strong  and  durable.  The  tendril  has 
done  its  work  and  has  done  it  in  an  admirable  manner. 

"Spreading  out  their  branches    in    contact    with    any 


242     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

nearly  flat  surface,  they  develop  discs — these  adhere  by 
the  secretion  of  some  cement  to  a  wall  or  even  to  a  pol- 
ished surface.  The  rapid  development  of  these  adherent 
discs  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  peculiarities  possessed 
by  any  tendril.  In  the  first  species,  the  tendrils  resemble 
in  shape  a  bird's  foot,  they  can  seize  firm  hold  of  a  twig 
or  branch." 

I  have  myself  conducted  some  very  interesting  experi- 
ments with  climbing  plants,  which  have  lead  me  to  be- 
lieve they  can  both  see  and  feel  like  an  animal ;  in  fact,  I 
have  no  doubt  about  it,  as  they  will  change  their  direction 
and  move  towards  and  find  a  stake  or  plant.  When  we 
consider  the  fact,  however,  that  cells  build  these  partly 
stationary  and  partly  moving  structures,  we  should  not 
be  surprised  at  their  actions.  You  will  have  to  admit  that 
anything  that  will  build  these  feeling  and  grasping  struc- 
tures with  the  idea  and  purpose  of  climbing  up  the  side 
of  other  structures  and  thereby  fastening  themselves  per- 
manently, and  with  the  one  purpose  in  view  of  getting 
into  the  sunlight,  must  be  possessed  of  a  guiding  and  di- 
recting mind. 

You  can  not  believe  that  matter  alone  can  climb  up  and 
grasp  hold  of  a  twig,  or  side  of  a  wall.  They  wish  to  climb 
up  into  the  sunlight  and  make  carbohydrates,  and  they  do 
it.  You  might  say  that  a  plant  does  not  possess  those  or- 
gans wherein  will,  intellect  and  instinctive  action  reside. 
That  is  to  say  that  a  plant  has  no  brain.  What  is  a  brain 
but  a  community  of  cells?  And  what  is  a  plant  but  a 
community  of  cells? 

This  being  a  fact,  we  should  expect  to  find  the  same  in- 
telligent and  purposive  acts  in  one  place  as  in  another. 
Mr.  Haeckel  makes  the  following  comparative  statement 
between  the  social  organization  of  man,  and  that  of  the 
cell: 


INTELLIGENCE  OP   THE   CELL  243 

"The  original  physiological  independence  of  the  cells 
which  have  combined  to  form  tissues  is  more  completely 
lost  in  proportion  to  the  closeness  of  their  combination, 
the  complexity  of  their  division  of  labor,  and  the  differ- 
entiation and  centralization  of  the  tissue-organism.  Hence 
the  various  kinds  of  tissues  in  the  body  of  the  histona  be- 
have like  the  various  classes  and  professions  in  a  state. 
The  higher  the  civilization  and  the  more  varied  the 
classes  of  workers,  the  more  they  are  dependent  on  each 
other,  and  the  state  is  centralized. 

"The  complicated  modern  state,  with  its  remarkable 
achievements,  may  be  regarded  as  the  highest  stage  of  in- 
dividual perfection  which  is  known  to  us  in  organic  na- 
ture. But  we  can  only  understand  the  structure  of  this 
extremely  complex  'organism  of  the  highest  order/  and  its 
social  forms  and  functions,  when  we  have  a  sociological 
knowledge  of  the  various  classes  that  compose  it,  and  the 
laws  of  their  association  and  division  of  labor ;  and  when 
we  have  made  an  anthropological  study  of  the  nature  of 
the  persons  who  have  united,  under  the  same  laws,  for 
the  formation  of  a  community  and  are  distributed  in  its 
various  classes.  The  familiar  arrangement  of  these 
classes,  and  the  settling  of  the  rank  in  the  mass  and  the 
governing  body,  show  us  how  this  complex  social  organ- 
ism is  built  up  step  by  step. 

"But  we  have  to  look  in  the  same  way  on  the  cell-state, 
which  is  made  up  from  the  separate  individualities  in 
human  society  or  in  the  kingdom  of  the  tissue-animals,  or 
the  branches  in  the  kingdom  of  the  tissue-plants.  Their 
complex  organism,  composed  of  various  organs  and  tis- 
sues, can  be  only  understood  when  we  are  acquainted 
with  their  constituent  elements,  the  cells,  and  the  laws 
according  to  which  these  elementary  organisms  unite  to 


244     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 

form  cell-communities  and  tissues,  and  are  in  turn  modi- 
fied in  the  divers  organs  in  the  division  of  labor." 

He  states  that  the  complicated  modern  state  with 
its  remarkable  achievements  may  be  regarded  as  the 
highest  state  of  individual  perfection  which  is  known  to 
us  in  organic  nature,"  and  he  compares  the  social  achieve- 
ments of  man  with  those  of  the  cell,  and  in  fact  arising 
from  the  cell.  The  social  life  lived  in  a  plant  or  animal 
compels  us  to  recognize  among  the  cells  a  spiritual  com- 
munication, similar  to  our  own.  A  fair  consideration  of 
these  facts  compels  us  to  admit  that  the  cell  has  the  same 
intellectual  capacity  as  man. 

The  remarkable  harmony  and  unity  of  action,  the  ex- 
traordinary division  of  labor,  the  regularity  with  which 
one  group  of  workers  will  take  the  place  of  another,  con- 
vinces me  that  there  is  no  difference  in  their  intelligence. 

Many  plants,  if  not  all  of  them,  can  both  see,  feel  and 
hear.  I  do  not  mean  that  they  can  do  so  to  the  extent  that 
we  can,  nor  is  it  necessary  for  their  existence  that  they 
should.  There  has  been  a  great  amount  of  investigation, 
of  late,  in  regard  to  the  question  of  the  existence  of  a  will 
and  consciousness  in  all  plants.  Some  time  ago  the  fol- 
lowing appeared  in  Current  Opinion : 

"Only  within  recent  years  has-  systematic  observation 
been  made  of  the  results  consequent  upon  the  division 
into  two  sexes  of  the  conspicuous  forms  of  plant  life. 

"They  have  eyes  which  see  (to  follow  the  elucidation 
of  Royal  Dixon,  a  student,  of  what  he  deems  the  human 
side  of  plants),  they  have  mouths  with  which  they  eat  and 
stomachs  to  digest  their  food  in.  The  stomachs  of  plants 
are  in  the  form  of  leaves ;  but  they  subserve  the  purpose. 
Plants  have  lungs  with  which  they  breathe  and  they 
actually  drink  water.  They  are  organisms,  and  because 


INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  CELL  245 

they  are  organisms  they  perform  the  functions  of  such 
things  ;  they  actually  mate. 

"Plants  have  not  always  had  the  same  manner  of  eat- 
ing, drinking  and  sleeping,  nor  have  they  always  had  the 
mating  customs  prevailing  among  them  at  present.  Plant 
customs  and  habits  change  as  do  the  habits  of  other  or- 
ganisms. Hence  their  mating  habits  have  been  modified 
through  the  ages.  Before  the  mating  of  any  pair  of 
plants  occurs,  there  is  at  this  stage  in  the  evolution  of 
many  among  them  a  brief  period  of  what  must  be  called 
courtship.  The  happy  and  gallant  wooer  adorns  himself 
gorgeously  with  brilliant  flowers,  each  having  powdered 
faces,  calling  to  his  love  on  every  breeze.  He  must  charm 
or  there  will  be  no  response.  This,  of  course,  refers  to 
matings  among  the  more  developed  plants. 

"When  we  speak  of  flowers  we  rarely  stop  to  consider 
just  what  the  term  means.  It  means  not  only  the  pistil, 
which  contains  the  undeveloped  seeds  or  ovules;  the 
stamens  with  their  pollen  grains ;  but  the  petals,  or  taken 
together,  the  corolla ;  and  lastly  the  calyx — all  these  dif- 
ferent parts  combine  to  form  the  flower.  The  brilliantly 
colored  petals  are  really  used  as  advertisements.  The  red, 
yellows,  oranges,  greens,  purples  and  whites  are  flags 
that  signal  to  the  bees  and  butterflies  to  come  and  feast 
on  the  honey — and  thus  to  fill  their  fuzzy  backs  with  the 
pollen  grains  which  will  readily  cling  to  the  sticky  pistil 
of  the  next  flower  they  visit. 

"One  of  the  most  brilliant  displays  of  color  is  that  of 
the  flame  azalea.  It  flaunts  its  gaudy  blossoms  over  the 
mountain-sides,  beckoning  to  the  pollen-bearers 'to  come 
and  taste  of  its  honey.  Its  flame  colored  flowers  are  pro- 
duced in  great  profusion,  and  massed  together,  their  blaz- 
ing splendor  gives  the  impression  of  the  woods  on  fire. 


246     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

The  azalea,  because  of  its  gay  blossoms,  is  becoming  very 
popular  as  a  cultivated  shrub. 

"Some  plants  do  not  care  to  have  their  pollen  distrib- 
uted, but  fertilize  their  own  flowers  by  dropping  the  pol- 
len grains  upon  their  own  pistils.  But  in  all  such  cases 
their  children  are  degenerates,  and  only  plants  which  are 
very  low  and  unsuccessful  in  life  use  this  means  of  fer- 
tilization. While  in  a  very  large  percentage  of  flowering 
plants  the  male  and  female  elements  both  are  present  in 
the  same  flower,  if  good  healthy  offspring  are  to  be  pro- 
duced it  is  necessary  for  pollen  to  be  brought  from  an- 
other plant,  or  another  flower  of  the  same  plant. 

"It  was  long  ago  proved  that  close  interbreeding  pro- 
duces degenerates  in  the  plant  kingdom.  There  are  very 
few  instances  among  high-class  plants  where  perfect 
seeds  have  been  produced  without  the  ovules  having  been 
fertilized  in  the  regular  way ;  that  is,  by  a  transference  of 
the  pollen  from  the  male  to  the  female  flower. 

"Among  such  plants  as  begonias,  cucumbers,  gourds, 
squashes  and  the  like  there  are  many  flowers  that  are  dis- 
tinctly male  or  female.  If  for  any  reason  the  proper  in- 
sects do  not  exist  in  the  territory  where  such  flowers  are 
to  be  raised,  the  flowers  may  be  fertilized  by  carrying 
pollen  dust  from  the  male  to  the  female  by  means  of  a 
feather  or  a  dainty  brush. 

"Plants  have  various  devices  for  securing  a  cross-fer- 
tilization of  their  flowers.  Some  use  the  wind  as  an  agent, 
others  depend  upon  the  bees,  the  butterflies,  the  moths, 
the  snails  or  even  the  birds.  Bird  pollenation  is  a  com- 
mon thing  in  Brazil,  where  the  abuntilon  is  fertilized  by 
the  humming  bird.  Flowers  use  their  beauty,  perfume 
and  conspicuousness  to  attract  to  themselves  insects  that 
will  distribute  their  pollen. 

"And  in  considering  this  plant  courtship  and  marriage 


INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  CELL  247 

there  is  one  point  which  needs  especial  emphasis — a  point 
which  must  necessarily  be  reiterated  time  and  again  in 
the  consideration  of  the  human  side  of  plants.  It  is  the 
existence  of  some  guiding  force,  too  impulsive  to  be  me- 
chanical, too  versatile  and  efficient  to  be  instinctive,  which 
controls  the  actions  and  manners  of  plants  in  all  the 
stages  of  their  reproductive  functions.  There  is  an  al- 
most human  sagacity  in  these  actions ;  in  the  display  of 
brilliant  colors  and  soft  perfumes  to  attract  their  lovers ; 
in  the  cunning  which  they  show  in  imprisoning  a  bee  if  he 
should  arrive  before  the  pollen  grains  are  ready  to  be 
sifted  on  his  back,  and  of  holding  him,  sometimes  days  at 
a  time,  until  he  can  go  forth  laden  with  the  pollen  that  is 
to  adhere  to  a  pistil  and  so  find  its  way  to  the  ovary  and 
perform  the  great  miracle  that  results  in  seeds ;  in  the 
many  similar  tricks  which  they  use  to  entice  and  to  hold ; 
all  working  together  towards  that  one  great  aim  of  plant 
life-reproduction. 

"Perhaps  one  of  the  strangest  and  most  interesting 
methods  of  securing  cross-fertilization  is  that  used  by 
certain  water  plants  which  have  their  flower-stalks  en- 
tirely hidden  under  the  water.  The  Italian  eel-grass 
(Vallisneria  Spiralis)  uses  this  unique  method  of  fertili- 
zation. The  female  flowers  grow  on  long,  spirally  twisted 
stalks,  and  each  flower  is  enclosed  in  a  small  bladder. 
The  male  flowers  grow  in  bunches,  and  each  entire  bunch 
is  covered  with  a  thin  skin-like  sheath.  The  female 
flower  has  continued  to  reach  up  her  head  until  the  flow- 
ers rest  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  while  the  male  is 
tied  down  below  by  a  short  stalk. 

"Now  the  miracle  happens!  The  gallant  wooer  delib- 
erately breaks  loose  from  his  underwater  position  and 
arises  to  the  top,  where  his  lady-love  is  peacefully  float- 
ing! The  male  flower  bursts  open  his  sepals  and  forms  a 


248     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

tiny  raft  and,  by  means  of  this  raft,  he  is  enabled  to  float 
around  until  some  kind  of  wind  or  wave  brings  him  in 
contact  with  his  love.  Some  of  the  pollen  from  the  male 
adheres  to  the  female  flower;  she  drops  to  the  bottom  of 
the  water,  and  there  remains  while  the  seeds  are  being 
developed." 

"Plants,  as  this  student  of  them  affirms,  after  his  care- 
ful investigation  of  the  evidence,  possess  a  psychic  sense. 
There  are  numerous  evidences  of  it  in  the  plant's  power 
to  discover  the  presence  of  objects  necessary  to  its  wel- 
fare. A  climbing  plant,  which  needs  a  prop,  will  creep 
toward  the  nearest  support.  Should  this  be  shifted  to  a 
spot  several  feet  from  its  former  position  the  vine  will, 
within  a  few  hours,  change  its  course  to  the  new  direc- 
tion. Is  it  possible  that  the  plant  sees  the  pole?  Such  a 
theory  may  explain  the  action  in  this  instance,  but  if  the 
plant  grows  between  two  mounds  or  ridges  and  behind 
the  ridge  stands  a  wall  which  will  afford  good  climbing 
but  is  invisible  from  the  position  of  the  plant,  while  be- 
hind the  other  ridge  is  no  form  of  support,  the  plant  in- 
variably will  bend  its  course  over  the  ridge  which  is 
before  the  wall.  Examples  of  this  may  be  found  wherever 
climbing  or  creeping  plants  grow.  The  support  is  invis- 
ible from  the  plant's  starting  point.  There  is  no  odor 
which,  as  is  possible  in  the  location  of  water,  might  give 
the  plant  some  clue  to  the  direction  in  which  its  support 
may  be  found.  The  only  explanation  seems  to  be  the 
existence  in  the  plant  of  a  psychic  sense." 

"There  is  at  least  one  other  sense  which  is  possessed  by 
plants  in  a  marked  degree.  This  may  be  called  the  physi- 
cal sense.  For  example,  most  house  plants  which  in  their 
domestication  have  assumed  more  or  less  artificial  forms, 
will,  on  being  returned  to  their  original  haunts,  reasiume 
their  original  or  natural  forms.  There  must  be  in  the 


INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  CELL  249 

plant  some  prompting  sense  which  makes  it  realize  any 
unfitness  in  its  life  or  being. 

"Plants,  then,  have  seven  senses:  sight,  hearing,  feel- 
ing, taste,  smell,  a  psychic  sense  and  a  physical  sense ; 
or  six  senses  and  a  reasoning  power — if  the  physical  sense 
be  admitted  as  such.  These  senses  might  be  termed 
'passive'  mentality — that  is,  senses  which,  to  perform 
their  functions,  possibly  do  not  require  any  command  of 
the  will,  but  are  merely  natural  to  the  plants.  If,  how- 
ever, these  seven  senses  are  but  passive  powers,  and  not 
in  any  way  an  evidence  of  intelligence  in  the  plant,  there 
are  certain  actual  and  purposeful  motions  of  the  plant 
which  might  be  called  its  'active'  mentality." 

It  is  the  purposive  and  intelligent  acts  of  the  plant  that 
compel  us  to  impute  to  them  intellect,  will  and  conscious- 
ness. When  we  consider  the  fact  that  the  being  that 
builds  the  plant  is  the  same  being  that  builds  the  animal, 
we  should  expect  that  either  structure,  plant  or  animal, 
should  exhibit  the  same  signs  of  being  occupied  by  and 
guided  by  intelligence.  The  facts  are  that  those  in  charge 
are  intelligent,  just  as  are  those  in  charge  of  the  sub- 
marine or  the  battleship. 

Man  is  supposed  to  be  the  most  intelligent,  but  com- 
pare his  acts  with  those  of  the  cell  and  you  will  be  sur- 
prised at  the  number  of  foolish  and  useless  actions  per- 
formed by  man. 

Consider  the  actions  of  the  plant  called  the  Didinium, 
who  lives  a  separate  life  in  the  water.  The  following  by 
Mr.  Binet  is  a  description  of  his  actions:  "The  most 
complicated  instance  of  localization  is  met  with  in  the 
Didinium,  which  we  have  so  often  cited ;  the  Didinium 
knows  precisely  the  position  of  the  prey  it  follows,  for  it 
takes  aim  at  the  object  of  its  pursuit  like  a  marksman, 
and  transpierces  it  with  its  nettle-like  darts.  Between 


250     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

these  two  species,  we  find  all  the  intermediate  instances 
of  a  localization  of  perceptions." 

Now  these  are  descriptions  of  the  single  cell,  living  the 
wild  life,  where  he  struggles  for  existence  as  a  sole  sep- 
arate individual.  Compare  the  actions  of  these  hunting 
cells  with  those  of  Theodore  Roosevelt,  shooting  deer 
and  bear.  There  is  not  the  slightest  difference  in  the  in- 
telligence exhibited  by  the  cell  and  by  Mr.  Roosevelt 
in  their  actions  except  in  one  thing,  and  that  is,  that  the 
cell  had  to  first  make  his  own  gun,  so  that  in  this  par- 
ticular, the  cell  has  Mr.  Roosevelt  beaten.  But  you  may 
say  that  a  cell  never  does  anything  with  the  intention  of 
effecting  a  purpose. 

When  we  see  an  Indian  make  a  bow  and  arrow,  we 
know  his  purpose — to  get  something  to  eat.  With  that 
idea  spurring  him  into  action,  he  works  for  a  purpose, 
When  he  shoots  the  arrow,  it  is  for  the  same  purpose — 
his  every  act  is  for  the  one  purpose,  to  get  something  to 
eat. 

The  acts  of  the  Amoeba  and  the  Didinium  must  nec- 
essarily be  the  same.  They  are  the  actions  of  an  intelli- 
gent being  in  either  case.  The  cause  of  all  life  we  see,  is 
the  intelligence  possessed  by  the  microscopic  builders,  the 
cells. 

A  short  time  ago  I  read  in  my  Sunday  paper  the  fol- 
lowing article:  "Botanists  have  long  declared  that 
plants  as  well  as  animals  have  nervous  organizations  and 
are  capable  of  feeling  and  demonstrating  that  they  feel 
pleasure  and  pain  and  even  that  they  show  appreciation 
for  attention  and  droop  under  neglect. 

Scientific  proot  of  the  truth  of  these  theories  is  now 
furnished  in  records  of  remarkable  experiments  conducted 
by  Professor  Jagadis  Chandra  Bose,  of  Calcutta,  India, 


INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  CELL  251 

with  the  aid  of  ingenious  mechanism  invented  by  him- 
self. This  instrument  is  called  a  "Resonant  Recorder." 

Writing  about  it  in  the  Modern  Review,  of  Calcutta, 
Professor  Bose  says :  "There  are  rhythmic  tissues  in  the 
plant,  which,  like  those  in  the  animal,  go  on  throbbing 
ceaselessly.  These  spontaneous  pulsations  in  one  case,  as 
in  the  other,  are  affected  by  various  drugs  in  an  identical 
manner.  And  in  one  case,  as  in  the  other,  the  tremor  of 
excitation  is  transmitted  with  a  definite  and  measured 
speed  from  point  to  point  along  fiber-like  channels." 

A  writer  in  The  Nation,  London,  describes  the  results 
obtained  in  England  by  the  use  of  Professor  Bose's  re- 
cording device :  "One  of  his  delicate  machines  records 
the  exact  rhythm  of  the  leaf's  pulsations.  A  needle  sets 
it  down  in  dots  on  a  piece  of  smoked  glass.  Then  when 
the  professor  doses  the  prisoner  with  alcohol  the  curve 
becomes  one  of  exhilaration.  He  gives  it  carbon  dioxide 
and  the  plant  grows  ill,  and  signifies  the  same  in  its 
Morse  code.  He  poisons  it,  and  the  pulse  ticks  dolefully 
lower  and  lower  till  it  finally  stops."  I  have  to  use  these 
illustrations  as  arguments  to  overcome  the  natural 
objection  and  prejudice  that  the  reader  will  have  against 
believing  that  a  microscopic  being  or  a  plant  can  possess 
ieeling,  pain  and  sorrow.  It  is  hard  for  the  reader  to 
comprehend  that  the  little  cell  is  his  builder  and  care- 
taker as  well  as  that  of  the  plant. 

The  following,  is  an  article  from  the  Pittsburg  Dispatch, 
which  shows  that  some  plants  see,  hear  and  speak : 

"From  far  Brazil  Harry  J.  Black,  an  American,  is  com- 
ing with  one  of  the  most  remarkable  collections  of  or- 
chids, valued  at  more  than  $75,000,  together  with  several 
.hundred  other  rare  plants.  Mr.  Black  is  a  well-known 
editor-publisher  of  Buenos  Aires,  owner  of  Fraymocho, 
an  illustrated  weekly  printed  in  Spanish.  He  is  arcom- 


252  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THIS  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

panied  by  his  friend,  Senor  Diego  Gibson,  a  native  of 
Buenos  Aires,  likewise  Senor  Ramon  Caceras,  a  horti- 
culturist from  Montevideo.  They  are  bringing  the  Black 
collection  of  unusual  plants  for  the  purpose  of  exhibiting 
them  at,  the  third  international  flower  show  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Horticultural  society  of  New  York,  Grand 
Central  Palace,  March  17-23. 

"Mr.  Black  has  spent  twenty-seven  years  in  South 
America.  Flowers  are  merely  a  hobby  with  him,  and  he 
has  made  lengthy  excursions  thru  the  wilds  of  Bolivia, 
Peru  and  Brazil,  emerging  from  the  dense  forests  after 
a  stay  of  several  months,  with  plants  never  known  to 
have  been  seen  by  human  eyes.  Mr.  Black  was  one  of  the 
first  to  agree  with  Sir  Francis  Darwin  when,  as  president 
of  the  British  Society  in  1908,  Darwin  delivered  an  ad- 
dress declaring  that  in  plants  there  exists  'a  faint  copy  of 
what  we  know  as  consciousness  in  ourselves.'  The  fam- 
ous scientist  was  laughed  at  by  many  in  his  theory  that 
plants  can  see  and  hear,  but  Mr.  Black  believed  it  and 
indulged  in  research  work  that  would  prove  it,  as  did  Mr. 
Jean  Viaud-Brant,  nurseryman  of  Poitiers,  France,  who 
maintained  that  the  rose  could  see  the  beautiful  woman 
inhaling  its  perfume,  and  furthermore  that  plants  can 
hear. 

"In  proof  of  these  theories,  Mr.  Black  is  bringing  some 
specimens,  one  of  which  is  a  sensitive  plant  that  folds  up 
its  leaves  in  fright  if  a  sharp  noise  is  made  nearby,  and 
the  same  plant  is  almost  human  in  that  in  addition  to 
having  the  temperament  of  a  nervous  woman,  it  is  also 
rendered  insensible  by  anesthetics  such  as  ether,  chloro- 
form, heroin,  etc.  Its  discoverer  says  that  he  has  reason 
to  believe  that  plants  have  a  system  of  speech  and,  like 
Mr.  Viaud-Brant,  cites  cases  where  the  scent  of  flowers 
is  a  manifestation  of  their  vegetable  life  and  living  radia- 


INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  CELL  253 

tion.  Scent  considered  as  an  olfactory  sensation  is  a 
vibration,  and  scent  therefore  is  the  sound  uttered  by 
flowers,  or  a  song  without  words  as  it  were. 

"Among  the  astounding  plants  which  Mr.  Black  will 
bring  is  a  species  of  jatropha  from  Colombia,  known  as 
the  ortiga  brava  albo  (the  cruel  white  metal)  which 
secretes  a  poison  like  a  rattlesnake,  and  when  touched, 
two  tiny  organs  which  correspond  to  the  tongue  of  a 
snake  shoot  poison  and  inflict  a  deadly  wound.  He  also 
brings  some  varieties  of  stinging  plants,  which  have  long 
hairs,  and  when  a  hair  is  snapped  by  contact,  it  dis- 
charges poison  in  even  sufficient  quantity  to  kill  a  man. 
He  intends  to  demonstrate  this  by  killing  mice  and  in- 
sects." 

We  see  in  every  individual,  plant  or  animal  an  effort 
to  improve  and  maintain  its  stage  of  existence  on  this 
planet.  Call  it  chance,  or  intelligence,  or  what  you  will,  it 
is  the  same  in  plants  and  animals  as  it  is  in  man,  and  we 
find  it  the  same  in  the  cell  as  in  those  individuals  which 
he  produces.  However,  we  know  that  chance  can  not 
take  care  of  a  social  community  like  a  city  or  an  animal. 
There  must  be  loyalty,  duty,  sleepless  watchfulness,  a 
wisdom  to  make  and  unmake,  and  to  keep  careful  watch 
over  all  that  happens  within  and  without. 

Did  you  ever  stop  to  consider  all  the  wonderful  schemes 
that  plants  have  invented  to  cause  their  young  or  seeds  to 
be  scattered  over  the  surface  of  the  earth?  It  is  such  a 
common  matter  that  we  never  stop  to  give  it  a  thought. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  my  common  school 
Botany :  "Dispersal  by  currents  of  air. — Many  seeds  are 
so  light  as  to  be  carried  about  by  currents  of  air.  Ordi- 
narily, however,  the  wind-dispersed  seeds  of  fruits  de- 
velop special  appendages  to  aid  in  their  flight,  commonest 
among  which  are  wings  and  tufts  of  hair.  For  example, 


254 


CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 


wings  are  developed  by  the  fruit  of  maples  and  elms,  and 
by  the  seeds  of  catalpa  and  its  allies.  Plumes  and  tufts 
of  hair  are  developed  by  the  seed-like  fruits  of  thistle, 
dandelion  and  many  of  their  relatives  and  by  the  seeds  of 
milkweeds,  willow  herbs,  etc.  On  plains  or  level 
stretches,  where  winds  are  strong,  a  curious  habit  of  seed- 


FIG.  34. — Seed 


r  -for    parachutes. 


dispersal  has  been  developed  by  certain  plants  known  as 
tumbleweeds  or  field  rollers.  These  plants  are  profusely 
branching  annuals  with  a  small  root  system  in  light  or 
sandy  soil.  When  the  work  of  the  season  is  over  and 
the  absorbing  rootlets  have  shriveled,  the  plant  is  easily 
broken  from  its  roots  by  a  gust  of  wind,  and  is  trundled 
along  the  surface  like  a  light  wicker  ball,  the  ripe  seed 
vessels  dropping  their  seeds  by  the  way.  In  case  of  an 


INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  CELL 


255 


obstruction,  such  as  a  fence,  great  masses  of  these  tumble- 
weeds  may  be  seen  lodged  against  the  windward  side. 
This  method  of  dispersal  is  far  more  effective  than  the 
mechanical  discharge ;  but  it  is  fitful,  and  its  range  usu- 
ally is  not  very  great.  Thistle-down  may  be  floated  into 
a  neighboring  field,  and  a  strong  wind  may  carry  the 
comparatively  heavy-winged  fruits  of  the  maple  and  the 
elm  some  distance ;  but  at  best  the  scattering  is  only  over 


FIG.  35. — Seeds  of  beggar-ticks  with   barbed   appendages. 

a  neighborhood.  In  many  cases  seeds  or  fruits  or  heads 
develop  grappling  appendages  of  various  kinds,  forming 
the  various  burs,  which  lay  hold  of  animals  brushing 
past;  and  so  the  seeds  are  dispersed." 

The  skillful  performance  of  the  Russian  thistle  and  the 
tumbleweed  is  wonderful,  while  they  are  growing  during 
the  summer.  You  can  not  possibly  pull  a  plant  out  by 
the  roots,  but  as  soon  as  it  is  ripe  for  seed  dispersal,  it 
is  cut  loose  by  the  cells  that  made  it,  and  stands  ready 


256     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

to  travel  with  the  first  good  wind  and  is  made  into  a 
round  ball  showing  the  intention  and  purpose  of  the 
builders.  It  is  also  so  constructed  that  it  hardly  ever  gets 
tangled  and  caught  in  grass  and  weeds. 

The  balloons  or  parachutes  attached  to  the  seeds  of 
milkweeds  and  dandelion  are  certainly  works  of  art.  Is 
it  not  absurd  to  state  that  all  these  perfect  designs  and 
structures  to  effect  certain  purposes  and  ends  could  come 
about  by  chance?  Why  should  it  require  any  more  in- 
telligence to  build  a  parachute  by  man  than  by  the  cell? 
One  is  a  living  animal  just  the  same  as  the  other,  eating 
the  same  kind  of  food,  breathing  the  same  kind  of  air  and 
made  of  the  same  kind  of  material.  If  the  acts  are  pur- 
posive and  intelligent  in  one  case  they  must  be  in  the 
other. 

The  following  is  a  description  of  how  the  water  plants 
are  adapted  for  water  life.  This  is  how  the  cells  buila 
their  house-like  plants  in  water,  in  such  a  manner  that 
they  will  be  able  to  enjoy  the  comfort  of  both  air  and 
water : 

"Adaptations. — When  a  plant  lives  entirely  or  partially 
submerged  in  water,  its  structure  differs  in  many  ways 
from  that  of  an  ordinary  land  plant,  and  these  adjust- 
ments to  water  life  are  called  adaptations.  On  parts 
under  water  the  epidermis  is  thin  and  permits  absorption, 
so  that  in  a  completely  submerged  plant  its  whole  sur- 
face absorbs.  When  this  is  the  case,  the  root-system  is 
much  reduced  in  extent  as  compared  with  a  land-plant 
of  the  same  size,  for  it  is  not  the  only  organ  for  water 
absorption.  In  submerged  plants  the  rigid  tissues  are 
less  developed  than  in  land  plants,  for  the  buoyant  power 
of  water  helps  to  support  the  plant.  This  fact  may  be 
illustrated  by  taking  from  the  water  submerged  plants 
that  seem  to  be  upright,  with  all  their  parts  spread  out ; 


INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  CELL  257 

upon  removal  they  collapse,  not  being  able  to  support 
themselves.  Water-plants  are  also  usually  provided  with 
air-chambers  and  passageways  that  the  air  may  be  free 
to  reach  the  working  cells." 

In  what  manner  do  these  structures  differ  from  those 
of  man  under  similar  circumstances?  Although  the  cell 
is  an  animal  that  lives  naturally  in  water,  still  it  also  re- 
quires air  and  as  it  is  evidently  easier  to  extract  oxygen 
from  air  than  from  water,  it  has  provided  air  chambers 
filled  with  air  under  water.  I  have  examined  a  number  of 
water  plants  and  every  one  of  them  has  hollow  open 
chambers  under  water  which  are  always  filled  with  air. 
Now  some  one  must  understand  how  to  build  these  air 
tight  chambers  and  fill  them  with  air.  The  air  chambers 
in  bamboo  rods  are  sometimes  an  inch  across  and  five  to 
ten  inches  long.  Those  who  think  that  it  is  an  easy  mat- 
ter to  build  and  maintain  air  tight  chambers  under  water 
and  keep  them  filled  with  air  had  better  try  it  and  be 
convinced  that  the  cell  is  just  as  skilled  and  smart  in  his 
line  of  business  as  any  one  else. 

I  do  not  pretend  to  know  what  intelligence  is,  nor  what 
memory  is,  but  I  want  to  show  that  the  cell  is  a  being 
possessed  of  that  something,  whatever  it  is.  If  man  is 
intelligent  the  cell  must  be.  The  cell  is  an  active  living 
animal,  he  mates,  loves,  feels,  eats,  drinks,  breathes, 
jumps,  moves,  and  performs  all  the  things  that  every 
animal  does, — that  is,  he  has  the  essential  attributes  of  a 
living  being. 

Before  closing  this  chapter,  I  must  describe  a  few  of 
the  hundred  or  more  varieties  of  plants  which  have  fly 
traps  with  which  they  catch  and  devour  insects  of  all 
kinds.  These  plants  should  illustrate  to  the  reader  most 
clearly  what  a  plant  or  animal  really  is.  The  reader 
should  be  able  to  comprehend  from  these  plants  provided 


258 


CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 


with  fly-traps  that  every  plant  or  animal  is  simply  a 
structure  built  for  and  occupied  by  smaller  living  animals 
and  beings  we  call  cells. 


FIG.  36. — Leaves  of  the  Californian  pitcher-plant,  showing  the  twisted  and 
winged  pitcher,  the  overarching  hood  with  translucent  spots,  and  the  fish-tail 
appendage  to  the  hood. — After  KERNER. 

FIG.  37. — Leaf  of  Nepenthes,  showing  the  blade-like  base,  the  tendril  portion, 
and  the  terminal  pitcher  with  its  lid. — After  GRAY. 

The  following  is  a  correct  description  of  these  plants 

from  text  books  on  botany  used   in  the   high  schools : 

"A   much   larger  California  pitcher-plant   is   Darling- 


INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  CELL  259 

tonia,  whose  leaves  are  one  and  a  half  to  three  feet  high, 
the  hood  bearing  a  gaudily  colored  'fish-tail'  appendage, 
the  whole  structure  being  a  more  elaborate  insect  trap 
than  are  the  leaves  of  Sarracenia.  In  these  traps  not  only 
are  the  remains  of  flies  found,  but  bees,  hornets,  butter- 
flies, beetles,  grasshoppers  and  even  snails  have  been 
reported.  The  species  of  Nepenthes  from  the  oriental 
tropics,  very  common  in  conservatories,  develop  most 
remarkable  leaves,  the  lowest  part  being  an  ordinary 
blade,  beyond  which  is  a  well-developed  tendril,  at  the 
end  of  which  there  arises  an  elaborate  pitcher  with  a  lid. 
There  is  the  same  sweetish  secretion  at  the  rim  of  the 
pitcher,  and  the  same  accumulation  of  water  within  as  in 
the  ordinary  pitcher-plants.  Leaves  of  sundews. — The 
sundews  are  forms  of  Drosera  and  grown  in  swampy 
regions,  the  leaves  forming  small  rosettes  upon  the 
ground.  In  one  form  the  blade  is  round,  and  the  margin 
is  beset  by  prominent  bristle-like  hairs,  each  with  a 
globular  gland  at  its  tip.  Shorter  gland-bearing  hairs  are 
scattered  also  over  the  inner  surface  of  the  blade.  All 
these  glands  excrete  a  clear  sticky  fluid,  which  hangs  to 
them  like  dewdrops,  and  which,  not  being  dissipated  by 
sunlight,  has  suggested  the  name  of  sundew.  If  an  insect 
becomes  entangled  in  one  of  the  sticky  drops,  the  hair 
begins  to  curve  inward,  and  presently  presses  its  victim 
down  upon  the  surface  of  the  blade.  In  the  case  of  a 
larger  insect,  several  of  the  marginal  hairs  may  join 
together  in  holding  it,  or  the  whole  blade  may  become 
more  or  less  rolled  inward. 

Leaves  of  Dionoea. — This  is  one  of  the  most  famous 
and  remarkable  of  insect-trapping  plants,  being  found 
only  in  certain  sandy  swamps  near  Wilmington,  N.  C. 
The  leaf-blade  is  constructed  so  as  to  work  like  a  steel 
trap,  the  two  halves  snapping  together  and  the  marginal 


260 


CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 


bristles  interlocking  like  the  teeth  of  a  trap.  A  few  sen- 
sitive hairs,  like  feelers,  are  developed  on  the  leaf  sur- 
face ;  and  when  one  of  these  is  touched  by  a  small  flying 
or  hovering  insect,  the  trap  snaps  shut  arrd  the  insect  is 
caught.  Only  after  digestion,  which  is  a  slow  process, 
does  the  trap  open  again.  Dionoea  is  popularly  known  as 
the  'Venus  fly-trap.' 


FIG.  38. — Three  leaves  of  Dioi 
on  an  insect. — After  KERNER. 


.ea;  two  with  the  traps  open,  one  with  trap  shut 


"Sarracenia,  Drosera,  and  Dionoea  are  conspicuous 
representatives  of  the  so-called  carnivorous  or  insectivor- 
ous plants,  all  of  which  capture  insects  and  use  them  for 
food.  They  are  green  plants,  so  that  they  manufacture 
carbohydrates ;  but  for  some  reason  they  supplement  their 
food  manufacture  with  a  supply  of  food  already  manufac- 
tured, and  obtained  from  the  bodies  of  captured  insects." 


INTELLIGENCE  OF  THE  CELL  261 

I  have  examined  all  of  these  plants  and  several  others. 
They  stand  as  a  living  example  of  the  inventive  genius 
and  intellectual  capacity  of  the  cells  which  occupy  them. 
All  of  these  plants  understand  how  to  make  starch  and 
food  from  the  crude  material  of  earth,  air  and  water; 
there  was  no  necessity  for  these  traps  in  order  to  per- 
petuate their  existence.  They  could  not  in  any  case  have 
come  to  exist  by  slight  beneficial  variations  of  the  leaves, 
because  they  would  be  of  no  benefit  until  completed  as  a 
fly-trap.  The  traps  must  have  been  fully  planned  in  the 
minds  of  the  builders  before  they  took  any  steps  toward 
their  construction.  Darwin's  Theory  of  Evolution  could 
have  had  nothing  to  do  with  producing  this  structure  by 
beneficial  chance  variations. 

In  fact,  in  every  case  where  I  have  investigated  the 
theory  of  evolution's  producing  any  structure,  I  have 
found  that  it  does  not  produce.  The  theory  of  the  sur- 
vival of  the  fittest,  in  so  far  as  its  causing  the  existence  of 
anything,  is  a  myth.  .  It  is  an  incident  that  determines 
which  of  two  shall  live,  but  that  is  not  necessarily  the  best 
man.  It  ignores  the  activities  of  the  producer  and  does 
not  pretend  to  point  out  who  the  producer  is. 

In  a  struggle  for  existence  between  two  men,  the 
stronger  will  not  necessarily  survive,  the  weaker  is  just 
as  likely  to  survive.  He  may  use  poison,  or  some  other 
unfair  means  against  his  opponent.  The  one  with  the 
most  inventive  skill  and  intelligence  will  generally  sur- 
vive. So  in  any  way  you  examine  it,  intelligence  is  the 
cause  of  all  living  structures,  whether  they  are  houses, 
railroads  or  battleships  built  by  man,  or  plants  and  ani- 
mals built  by  cells.  Someone  must  be  there  with  the  in- 
telligence, as  so  far  we  have  not  found  anything  produced 
by  magic  or  a  miracle. 

The  singular  and  significant  thing  about  these  plants 


262     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

with  fly-traps  is  this,  that  it  is  not  always  the  pure  neces- 
sity of  the  case  which  prompts  the  cells  to  build  any  par- 
ticular structure,  as  they  can  live  without  these  insects, 
just  as  qther  plants  do.  They  have  produced  these  fly- 
traps for  mere  sport  and  luxury. 

In  this  particular  they  also  resemble  man  in  his  most 
highly  civilized  state.  Where  can  you  find  any  traps  or 
snares  invented  and  constructed  by  man  to  catch  ani- 
mals that  can  beat  these  for  skilful  construction  and  in- 
ventive genius? 

Think  of  the  trick  employed  to  fool  the  insect  in  the 
California  pitcher-plant.  First  the  flaring  colored  flag 
hung  out  to  attract  his  attention,  to  make  him  think  it  is 
a  flower,  then  the  sweet  smell  coming  from  the  inside  of 
the  trap  to  tempt  him  to  enter,  the  glazed  surface  on 
which  he  will  slip,  the  spikes  to  keep  him  going  straight 
on  in,  after  he  gets  started,  the  transparent  covering  on 
the  top,  to  fool  him  to  fly  or  go  ia  in  the  wrong  direction, 
so  that  he  never  can  get  out.  Then  there  is  the  water  in 
the  bottom  where  he  will  drown,  and  where  the  cells 
swim  in  and  devour  him,  and  feed  his  drowned  carcass  to 
the  other  cells  in  the  body  of  the  plant. 

The  cells  who  build  this  plant  with  this  fly-trap  attach- 
ment need  take  no  back  seat  for  any  being  on  earth,  even 
an  inventor,  Edison  not  excepted.  The  intelligence  of  the 
cell  is  the  same  in  all  places,  whether  he  is  in  charge  of  a 
plant,  insect  or  animal  or  living  singly  in  the  water  and 
killing  his  fellow  cells  with  weapons  at  a  distance,  or  in 
the  human  brain  directing  the  actions  of  the  German 
army. 


CHAPTER  7. 
CAUSE  OF  HEREDITY. 

It  always  has  been  and  today  still  seems  to  be  a  stand- 
ing mystery  how  the  seed  from  a  plant,  tree,  animal  or 
insect  can  develop  into  the  same  kind  of  living  structure 
as  the  one  from  which  it  came.  Why  does  a  kernel  of 
corn  develop  into  a  corn  plant  and  not  into  a  sunflower? 
There  is,  however,  nothing  very  mysterious  about  this 
when  we  consider  all  the  facts  in  the  case.  The  kernel  of 
corn  is  a  cell,  a  living  animal  or  being.  Where  did  he 
come  from?  What  has  been  his  former  experience? 
What  has  he  been  doing  and  what  does  he  know? 
When  we  look  up  his  past  history  we  find  that  he  has 
been  in  the  business  of  building  corn  plants  for  ages.  He 
has  been  educated  in  that  work  and  none  other.  He  has 
been  sent  into  the  world  with  instructions  to  build  the 
corn  plant  and  has  been  provided  with  enough  food  and 
building  material  to  get  a  good  start  in  life.  Mr.  Ribot 
defines  heredity  as  "that  biological  law  by  which  all  be- 
ings endowed  with  life  tend  to  repeat  themselves  in  their 
descendants."  I  think  Spencer  gives  a  better  definition. 
He  states  that  it  is  "the  capacity  of  every  plant  or  animal 
to  produce  other  individuals  of  a  like  kind."  The  cause 
of  heredity  is  the  intellect  of  the  cell  based  on  his  power  of 
memory. 

Every  intelligent  animal  or  being  has  a  memory  where 


264     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

his  past  experiences  are  recorded,  and  with  its  help  he 
will  be  able  to  repeat  what  he  has  experienced  in  the 
past.  The  animal  or  plant  not  only  inherits  the  features, 
form  and  constitution  of  the  parent  but  also  the  intellect; 
that  is  to  say,  it  will  also  inherit  the  parents'  habits,  ac- 
tions and  mental  qualities.  The  young  muskrat  or  beaver 
will  inherit  not  only  the  form  of  its  parents  but  also  theii 
architectural  skill.  It  will  build  houses  over  the  water 
on  the  prairie  marshes  and  streams,  from  mud  and  grass. 
The  houses  will  be  of  such  size  as  will  be  necessary  to 
take  care  of  the  family.  If  it  is  a  large  family,  a  large 
house  will  be  provided.  The  house  of  the  muskrat  will 
usually  have  two  rooms;  one  will  be  a  dry,  cozy,  warm 
place  where  they  sleep,  the  other  will  be  a  place  a  little 
lower  down  where  they  eat.  If  not  disturbed  by  man  or 
mink  during  the  winter  they  would  lead  a  very  cozy  and 
comfortable  life  in  the  most  severe  prairie  climate,  in  the 
fiercest  snow  storms,  with  a  temperature  forty  below 
zero.  In  what  way  does  this  house  of  the  muskrat  differ 
from  the  log,  brush  and  sod  houses  of  man? 

When  the  early  settlers  first  came  to  Minnesota,  they 
dug  holes  in  the  side  of  a  hill  and  covered  them  with  brush 
and  grass,  because  they  could  not  get  any  lumber.  They 
were  then  cave-dwellers.  The  fox  also  dug  holes  in  the 
ground,  but  he  never  covered  his  holes  with  anything. 
He  was  a  cave-dweller  also.  The  badger  was  more  like 
the  early  settlers.  He  dug  holes  and  covered  them  with 
earth  and  grass  when  he  retired  for  the  winter.  Before 
any  crops  were  raised,  the  early  settler  and  the  fox  led  a 
similar  life.  They  both  had  to  hunt  for  a  living.  Two  or 
three  years  later,  the  early  settlers  improved  upon  this 
primitive  cave-dwelling,  and  put  up  one  on  a  plan  sim- 
ilar to  the  muskrat.  They  built  a  two-room  house  on 
top  of  the  ground  out  of  the  material  at  hand,  which  was 


CAUSE   OP   HEREDITY  265 

earth,  grass  and  brush.  A  little  later  on  the  railroad  came 
through  the  country  and  brought  lumber  for  better 
houses.  This  simply  goes  to  show  that  man  adapts  him- 
self to  conditions,  just  as  other  animals  do. 

However,  what  I  started  to  show  was  this,  that  the 
rat  knows  how  to  build  houses  over  the  water  in  which 
to  live,  and  not  houses  in  the  trees  like  squirrels,  nor 
houses  in  the  ground  like  the  badger.  The  building  of 
the  houses  of  the  muskrats  is  an  experience  and  ability 
possessed  by  this  animal  alone,  that  is,  by  the  cells  in 
his  brain.  They  know  how  to  build  these  and  none  other. 
The  houses  of  the  muskrat  are  always  about  the  same. 
They  are  for  a  specific  purpose.  They  are  intended  to 
provide  the  occupants  with  a  place  to  live  over  the  water 
in  the  severe  winter,  with  entrances  into  the  water  under 
the  ice,  where  they  can  obtain  the  roots,  insects  and  grass 
in  the  water  for  food.  They  must  be  just  so,  or  they 
would  not  answer  the  purpose.  It  requires  considerable 
skill  to  build  these  houses  because  the  thick  ice,  which 
will  cover  the  marsh  in  the  coming  severe  winter,  must 
be  correctly  calculated.  The  singular  thing  about  this 
animal,  as  well  as  other  animals  and  birds,  is  that  it  knows 
how  to  build  these  houses  without  ever  having  seen  one 
before,  and  without  ever  having  had  any  previous  instruc- 
tion in  the  art.  He  is  born  with  the  knowledge.  We  shall 
see  upon  further  investigation  that  this  knowledge  is  lo- 
cated in  certain  cells  of  the  body.  The  cells  that  build 
the  rat  not  only  know  how  to  build  him  as  a  structure 
specifically  adapted  to  live  in  water,  but  also  know  how 
to  build  another  structure  for  his  home,  using  him  as  a 
machine  with  which  to  do  it.  The  young  duck  knows  that 
it  is  proper  to  jump  into  the  water,  and  goes  in  the  first 
opportunity  it  gets,  while  a  young  chicken  will  keep  away 
from  the  water.  Without  having  had  any  previous  ex- 


266     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

perience  or  information  in  the  matter  they  know  from  the 
beginning  what  is  the  right  thing  to  do.  Why?  Because 
one  is  a  structure  made  to  move  on  both  land  and  water, 
while  the  other,  the  chick,  is  made  to  move  on  land  only. 
It  would  be  absurd  to  think  that  the  builders  of  these 
structures  did  not  know  for  what  purpose  the  structures 
were  made. 

The  majority  of  scientists  now  seem  to  agree  that  there 
is  no  difference  between  instinct  and  intelligence.  Mr. 
Ribot  states,  after  having  considered  the  different  instinc- 
tive actions  of  man  and  animal :  "There  is  therefore  no 
absolute  distinction  between  instinct  and  intelligence. 
There  is  not  a  single  characteristic  that  remains  the  ex- 
clusive property  of  either."  Then  he  cites  as  illustrations, 
among  others,  the  actions  of  the  bees,  ants  and  wasps, 
and  states:  "Neither  is  instinct  always^so  blind,  so  me- 
chanical as  is  supposed,  for  at  times  it  is  at  fault.  The 
wasp  that  has  faultily  trimmed  the  leaf  begins  again.  The 
bee  only  gives  the  hexagonal  form  to  its  cell  after  many 
attempts  and  alterations."  Bees  that  have  never  seen 
the  gathering  of  honey  nor  the  building  of  the  comb  will 
go  at  the  work  as  if  they  had  been  practising  for  years. 
A  bird  raised  in  captivity,  who  has  never  seen  a  nest  be- 
fore, will  at  the  proper  time  build  one  just  like  its  parent's 
if  given  a  chance.  These  intelligent  acts  are  called  in- 
stinctive. This  intelligence  must  be  somewhere  in  the 
animal.  The  cell  that  caused  the  construction  of  the 
young  bird  had  been  in  the  nest  building  business  for 
ages. 

We  do  not  need  to  know  how  life  originated  nor  what 
it  is  in  order  to  know  the  cause  of  heredity  and  of  develop- 
ment of  life,  because  we  can  see  by  the  power  of  the 
microscope  that  certain  animals  or  beings  we  call  cells 
are  the  builders  of  all  those  living  things  that  we  can  see 


CAUSE   OF  HEREDITY  267 

without  the  microscope.  In  the  same  manner  we  do  not 
need  to  know  who  built  man  in  order  to  know  who  built 
railroads,  skyscrapers  and  ships.  It  is  not  material  to  the 
question  of  the  cause  of  heredity  and  development,  to 
know  who  built  the  cell. 

If  we  find  that  this  microscopic  animal  is  the  builder  of 
all  these  things,  then  the  only  question  is,  why  is  it  that 
one  cell  will  produce  this  structure,  and  another  cell, 
which  looks  just  like  him,  will  produce  one  entirely  differ- 
ent? When  we  consider  that  he  is  a  living  animal  just 
like  ourselves,  and  just  like  the  thinkers  in  our  head,  we 
need  only  ask,  why  do  some  men  build  sod  houses  and 
some  skyscrapers,  and  why  does  a  squirrel  build  in  trees, 
and  muskrats  over  water?  The  answer  is  plain — one 
knows  how  to  build  one  kind  and  the  other,  another  kind. 
It  is  simply  a  matter  of  education  and  experience  of  the 
cells.  Mr.  Walker  states: 

"Every  part  that  is  alive  of  an  animal  or  plant  consists 
of  cells  and  of  nothing  else.  There  are  parts  of  the  bodies 
of  animals  and  plants  that  are  not  composed  of  cells,  but 
these  are  not  alive.  The  hard  parts  of  the  bones  in  man 
are  an  example  of  lifeless  substance  within  the  body. 
Such  dead  material,  however,  has  been  produced  by  cells, 
which  form  a  part  of  the  animal  or  plant  during  its  life." 

Investigations  have  shown  that  a  person  will  inherit 
the  same  shaped  bones  or  frame-work  as  his  parents. 
Bones  are  not  alive — they  are  only  the  structure  built  by 
the  cells  from  lime  and  other  material  to  serve  as  the 
frame  or  supporting  structure.  The  cells  station  them- 
selves here  and  there  in  the  bone  with  the  purpose  of 
keeping  them  in  repair.  The  following  by  Chas.  Walker 
will  start  us  in  the  investigation  of  the  cell  a  little  more 
in  detail:  "All  the  multicellular  organisms  commence 
their  existence  as  single  cells.  This  single  cell  divides 


268 


CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 


CAUSE   OF  HEREDITY 


269 


into  two  cells.  Each  of  the  two  thus  produced  divides 
again,  and  this  process  continues  until  the  whole  body  of 
the  multicellular  animal  or  plant  is  built  up.  Among  the 
cells  of  the  earlier  generation  there  is  a  great  similarity 


^-«J .  I  -> 

FIG.  40. — How    cells    multiply    and    begin    building   _..    _ _. .       .,    

5,    section   through   blastula   showing   hollow   sphere;    6,    gastrula    showing   outer 


4,    morula: 

layei    of  cells   (epiblast)   and  inner  layer   (hypoblast)  ;   the  6  is  at   the  mouth  of 
tht  cavity  (enteron)   of  the  gastrula. — HAEC 


in  appearance,  in  fact,  until  a  great  number  of  cells  have 
been  produced,  it  is  impossible  to  see  any  difference  be- 
tween them.  As  in  the  higher  animal,  the  cells  that  are 
eventually  going  to  be  thrown  off  to  form  new  individuals, 
the  sexual  cells,  are  differentiated  at  a  very  early  period, 


270     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

frequently  long  before  birth.  These  cells  live  a  parasitic 
existence  in  the  body,  which  has  produced  them,  and  in 
a  certain  sense  can  hardly  be  regarded  as  forming  an  in- 
tegral part  of  it.  They  are  certainly  not  necessary  to 
the  individual,  but  they  are  necessary  for  the  production 
of  new  individuals  and  are  thus  essential  to  the  race. 

"The  body  of  the  multicellular  organism  is  practically 
a  colony  of  unicellular  organisms  living  together  and  de- 
pendent upon  each  other;  and  with  certain  limitations 
this  idea  is  sufficiently  near  the  truth  to  be  very  helpful 
in  obtaining  a  proper  idea  of  the  nature  of  a  multicellular 
organism  and  of  the  transmission  of  character  from  par- 
ents .to  offspring. 

"We  may  for  the  sake  of  clearness  divide  the  whole  of 
4ie  living  organisms  into  the  two  great  groups — the 
unicellular,  those  in  which  an  individual  contains  but 
a  single  cell,  and  the  multicellular — those  in  which  the 
individual  contains  more  than  one  cell.  The  vast  ma- 
jority of  the  unicellular  organisms  are  invisible  to  the 
naked  eye,  but  nevertheless  they  perform  the  same  func- 
tion of  digestion,  secretion,  excretion,  etc.,  as  the  whole 
body  of  a  multicellular  organism,  which  may  be  built  up 
of  many  millions  of  cells." 

You  notice  the  fact  that  even  before  birth  a  certain 
group  of  cells  is  set  apart  and  a  separate  place  is  provided 
for  them  in  the  body  where  they  live  only  a  parasitic  life. 
That  is  to  say,  they  do  absolutely  nothing  but  study  the 
subject  of  how  to  make  the  next  body  and  how  to  improve 
it,  if  possible.  These  cells  begin  their  training  and  edu- 
cation the  first  thing,  and  occupy  their  mind  with  nothing 
else.  They  are  in  continual  mental  touch  with  every 
part  of  the  body,  and  can  send  out  messengers  at  any 
time  for  information  that  they  may  want ;  or  they  can 
make  personal  excursions  themselves  by  riding  in  the 


CAUSE   OF  HEREDITY  271 

blood  stream  at  any  time  or  to  any  point  or  part  of  the 
body,  and  take  note  of  this  or  that,  just  as  the  other  white 
cells  do  now,  who  are  the  soldiers  and  general  inspectors 
of  the  body.  When  we  consider  what  the  cell  really  is, 
that  he  is  in  fact  a  colony  of  beings,  that  half  of  him  has 
the  experience  of  ages  and  the  other  half  of  his  crowd  has 
the  experience  of  the  last  body  he  occupied  he  should  be 
very  well  informed  indeed.  You  see,  however,  that  this 
knowledge  must  necessarily  be  limited  to  those  bodies  or 
structures  from  which  he  came.  The  world  in  which  he 
lived  was  the  body  of  the  plant  or  animal  from  which  he 
came. 

We  might  investigate  here  a  little  further  into  the  de- 
tails of  how  the  cell  multiplies  and  grows.  We  do  not 
know  how  he  grows  but  we  know  how  he  multiplies.  He 
simply  divides  himself  into  two  parts,  then  these  two 
halves  again  grow  back  to  full  size,  and  then  these  again 
divide  into  two  and  so  on.  Figure  41  illustrates  the  way 
he  looks  through  the  most  powerful  microscope  now 
made.  He  has  a  great  number  of  special  organs,  the  pur- 
pose of  which  we  do  not  yet  understand.  We  do  know 
that  he  has  a  centrosome  acting  like  a  general  superin- 
tendent, which  looks  after  the  division  of  the  individual 
cell  and  sees  to  it  that  the  division  is  exactly  equal,  as  far 
as  the  central  part  of  the  body  or  head  is  concerned.  This 
central  head  is  called  the  nucleus,  and  seems  to  be  made 
up  of  a  crowd  of  separate  individuals  called  granules, 
which  are  no  doubt  the  living  primordial  beings  that  make 
up  the  cell  because  they  move  about  in  obedience  to  the 
orders  of  the  centrosome.  The  centrosome  seems  to  be 
the  main  head  or  directing  center,  the  general  manager, 
and  the  nucleus  seems  to  contain  the  sub-managers,  or 
skilled  workers,  and  the  body  or  cytoplasm,  as  it  is  called, 


272 


CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 


consists  of  the  common  laborers  or  unskilled  workers  of 
the  body  of  the  cell. 

The  general  appearance  of  the  cell  would  indicate  him 
to  be  a  highly  developed  and  specialized  being  made  up 
of  multitudes  of  smaller  primordial  cells  or  beings.  They 


FIG.  41. — The  cell.  A,  nuclear  membrane.  B,  masses  of  chromatin,  joined 
by  threads  of  linin  containing  chromatin.  C,  Nucleolus.  D,  Centrosomes. 
contained  in  E,  the  archoplasm.  F,  Contractile  vacuole.  G,  Food  particles.  H. 
Plastids. — WALKER. 


seem  to  co-operate  and  work  together  in  a  social  way  like 
the  cells  of  our  body.  The  wonderful  thing  that  we  ob- 
serve is  this,  that  when  the  centrosome  gives  orders  to 
divide,  they  line  up  in  rows  like  soldiers  and  the  crowds 
divide  exactly  in  two.  There  are  evidently  two  or  more 
beings  or  possibly  crowds  of  beings  in  each  granule,  so 


CAUSE   OF  HEREDITY 


273 


U,, 


FIG.  42. — Diagram  illustrating  Mitosis  or  cell  division.  A,  the  cell  commenc- 
ing activity;  B,  C,  D,  phases  in  the  formation  of  the  spindle  and  the  chromatin 
loops  or  V's,  also  showing  that  the  mother  V's  have  split  into  daughter  V's; 
D,  the  chromatin  loops  forming  the  equatorial  plate,  chr;  E,  F,  G,  separation 
of  the  daughter  loops  (daughter  chromosomes)  and  their  passage  towards  the 
poles  of  the  spindle,  thus  fori 


d   their   passage   towards   the 

ormng    daughter    nuclei;    H,    I,    division    of    the 
protoplasm   so  as  to   form   two   daughter  cells;   at,   attraction   sphere  enclosing   a 


entrosome;   n   m,   nuclear  membrane;   chr.. 
c  w,  cell  wall;  sp,  spindle.  —  SCHUTE. 


chromatin  threads;   p,   protoplasm; 


that  when  the  cell  divides  each  half  gets  its  full  number 
of  individuals,  skilled  and  otherwise. 

I  quote  from  Walker :  "What  has  been  said  with  re- 
gard to  the  selective  mode  of  division,  which  insures  that 
an  exactly  representative  half  of  each  chromosome  is 


274  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

handed  on  at  each  division  applies  to  the  linin  even  more 
forcibly  than  to  the  chromatin.  The  mode  of  division  in 
the  chromosomes  seems  to  insure  that  half  of  every  in- 
dividual portion,  of  every  individual  chromosome,  will 
be  handed  on  throughout  the  succeeding  generation  ot 
cells,  for  the  division  of  the  chromosome  does  not  appear 
to  be  merely  a  nonselective  division  of  the  bulk  of  sub- 
stances forming  it." 

In  regard  to  the  same  point  Wilson  makes  the  follow- 
ing remarks  :  "The  splitting  of  the  chromosomes  is  there- 
fore in  Boveries'  words,  'an  independent  vital  manifesta- 
tion, an  act  of  reproduction  on  the  part  of  the  chromo- 
somes, an  independent  reproductive  act  of  the  chromatin. 
The  construction  of  the  nucleus  and  in  particular  the 
breaking  up  of  the  chromosome  after  division  into  small 
granules,  and  their  uniform  distribution  through  the  nu- 
clear cavity,  is  in  the  first  place  for  the  purpose  of  allow- 
ing a  uniform  growth  to  take  place  and  in  the  second 
place  after  the  granules  have  grown  to  their  normal  size, 
to  admit  of  their  precisely  equal  quantitative  and  qualita- 
tive division.'  These  observations  certainly  lend  strong 
support  to  the  view  that  the  chromatin  is  to  be  regarded 
as  a  morphological  aggregate — as  a  congerie  or  colony 
of  self  propagating  elementary  organisms  capable  of  as- 
similation and  growth  and  division. 

"Summary  in  conclusion — All  cells  arise  by  division 
from  preexisting  cells, — cell  body  from  cell  body,  nucleus 
from  nucleus,  plastids  from  plastids,  and  centrosomes 
from  centrosomes.  The  law  of  genetic  continuity  thus 
applies  not  merely  to  the  cell  considered  as  a  whole,  but 
also  to  some  of  its  structural  constituents." 

On  this  point  there  seems  to  be  no  question  or  disagree- 
ment. The  following  by  Mr.  Wilson  is  also  interesting, 
showing  his  view  of  how  the  cell,  by  equal  division,  is 


CAUSE   OF   HEREDITY  275 

able  to  pass  on  continually  from  cell  to  cell  every  expe- 
rience and  tradition  of  the  ages.  A  record  is  taken  of  the 
past  and  preserved,  and  continually  handed  on  to  the  next 
generation.  The  following  by  Prof.  Wilson  will  further 
illustrate  this  and  also  show  that  the  centrosome  is  the 
intelligent  directing  center  of  the  cell,  and  that  if  the  nu- 
cleus is  disconnected  no  work  will  take  place.  He  says : 
"The  interpretation  of  cleavage  as  a  process  of  cell  divi- 
sion was  followed  by  the  demonstration  that  cell  divi- 
sion does  not  begin  with  cleavage,  but  can  be  traced  back 
into  the  foregoing  generation,  for  the  egg  cell  as  well  as 
the  sperm  cell  arises  by.  the  division  of  the  cell  pre-exist- 
ing in  the  parent  body.  It  is  therefore  derived  by  direct 
descent  from  an  egg  cell  of  the  foregoing  generation  and 
so  on  ad  infinitum. 

"Extending  backward  from  existing  plant  and  animals 
to  that  remote  and  unknown  period  when  vital  organiza- 
tion assumed  its  present  form,  life  is  a  continuous  stream. 
The  individual  body  dies,  it  is  true,  but  the  germ  cells 
live  on,  carrying  with  them,  as  it  were,  the  traditions  of 
the  race  from  which  they  spring  and  handing  them  on  to 
their  descendants." 

A  peculiar  thing  takes  place  when  the  cell  divides.  The 
granules  in  the  nucleus  line  up  in  groups  or  strings  which 
are  called  chromosomes,  which  we  see  from  the  following 
by  Mr.  Wilson  are  always  of  the  same  number  in  every 
plant  or  animal  or  species  of  cell.  He  states:  "The  re- 
markable fact  has  now  been  established  with  high  prob- 
ability that  every  species  of  plant  or  animal  has  a  fixed 
and  characteristic  number  of  chromosomes,  which  regu- 
larly recur  in  the  division  of  all  of  its  cells, — and  in  all 
forms  arising  by  sexual  reproduction  the  number  is  even. 
Thus  in  some  of  the  sharks  the  number  is  36,  in  certain 
gastropods,  it  is  32 ;  in  the  mouse,  the  salamander,  the 


276     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

trout  and  the  lily,  24;  in  the  ox,  guinea  pig  and  in  man, 
the  number  is  said  to  be  16,  and  the  same  number  is  char- 
acteristic of  the  onion."  It  is  very  likely  that  these  chro- 
mosomes represent  different  departments  of  the  special- 
ized individuals. 

A  conclusive  proof  that  it  is  no  chemical  proposition 
but  that  the  cell  is  an  active,  intelligent  being  and  knows 
what  he  is  about  to  do,  is  the  fact  that  if  you  destroy  the 
original  cell  or  any  one  of  them  up  to  the  number  of  fifteen 
cells  after  the  first  division,  any  one  of  the  remaining  cells 
will  go  on  and  build  the  body  and  finish  the  work  just  the 
same.  This  experiment  seems  to  me  to  be  conclusive 
proof  that  the  cells  build  and  work  entirely  from  memory. 
They  know  what  they  are  there  for  and  what  they  started 
out  to  do,  and  whether  one  or  more  are  accidentally  killed 
in  the  beginning  does  not  stop  the  rest  of  them  from  go- 
ing on  with  the  work  and  completing  the  structure.  The 
following  by  Mr.  Walker  also  tends  to  prove  the  proposi- 
tion : 

"On  the  other  hand,  Roux  also  found  that  in  his  ex- 
periments, when  carried  on  further,  the  existing  half  em- 
bryo restored  more  or  less  completely  the  missing  half. 
Later  experiments  by  other  observers  were  made  with 
the  eggs  of  several  other  animals,  which  appear  to  show 
that  in  the  earlier  stages  of  development,  at  any  rate,  all 
the  cells  into  which  the  fertilized  ovum  divides  retain  the 
power  of  producing  all  the  tissues  that  would  under  or- 
dinary circumstances  be  produced  by  the  fertilized  ovum 
itself.  Driesch,  Morgan,  Wilson,  Zoja  and  others  have 
separated  the  cells  produced  by  the  division  of  the  fer- 
tilized ovum  when  development  had  gone  as  far  in  some 
cases  as  the  sixteen  cell  stage.  These  experiments  seem 
to  prove  that  the  characters  cannot  be  represented  by  en- 
tities that  are  distributed  in  a  selected  manner  among  dif- 


CAUSE   OF  HEREDITY  277 

ferent  cells  during-  the  process  of  development,  as  as- 
sumed by  the  Roux-Weisman  theory.  If  it  were  so,  this 
selection  of  different  entities  must  begin  at  the  first  cell 
division,  but  it  has  been  proved  by  experiment  that  even 
when  the  sixteen  cell  stage  has  been  reached,  each  of  the 
sixteen  cells  possesses  within  itself  the  power  of  produc- 
ing, not  only  the  tissues,  which  it  would  produce  under 
normal  conditions  were  the  ovum  left  to  itself  to  develop, 
but  when  separated  from  its  fellows,  also  all  of  those  tis- 
sues that  would  have  been  produced  under  normal  con- 
ditions by  the  other  fifteen  cells." 

This  also  shows  that  in  division  each  one  is  able  to  pass 
on  to  the  next  one  in  some  way  the  record  of  past  events 
and  experiences,  which  evidently  is  what  we  call  the 
power  of  memory.  In  what  manner  the  record  is  taken 
and  kept  we  do  not  know.  We  can  clearly  see  that  they 
are  very  strict  and  careful  in  seeing  to  it  in  division  that 
each  one  gets  his  equal  half  of  the  entire  colony  of  pri- 
mordial beings  which  make  up  the  cell.  It  is  evident  also 
that  the  force  in  the  cell  is  kept  in  duplicate.  We  do  not 
understand  the  phenomenon  of  memory  nor  is  it  neces- 
sary in  order  to  understand  the  cause  of  heredity  and  de- 
velopment. We  know  memory  to  be  a  fact,  because  the 
cells  in  our  head  can  remember  what  took  place  in  our 
childhood  fifty  or  eighty  years  back.  We  know  that 
there  cannot  be  such  a  thing  as  intelligence  without  mem- 
ory. We  know  that  all  animals,  including  man,  reason 
and  act  from  past  experiences. 

The  cell  is  an  animal.  From  the  facts  based  upon  what 
we  see  the  cell  do  in  the  act  of  division,  we  are  forced  to 
the  conclusion  that  every  cell  is  able  to  remember  not 
only  what  he  has  experienced  during-  his  own  life  but  also 
what  took  place  in  the  immediate  generation  before  him. 
Another  experiment  also  goes  to  show  that  it  is  not 


278     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

merely  a  chemical  action  or  blind  force  which  guides  and 
directs  the  cell  in  the  construction  of  plant  or  animal,  to- 
wit :  After  the  cell  has  started  to  build  a  plant  or  animal 
and  it  has  multiplied  into  a  bunch  of  say  15  to  100  individ- 
uals and  they  have  arranged  themselves  in  their  proper 
places  and  begun  the  building  of  the  different  parts,  if  you 
then  mix  them  up  and  flatten  them  out,  disorganize  and 
dislocate  them,  they  will  again  scurry  around  and  find  their 
places  and  go  on  with  the  work  as  soon  as  possible.  In 
reference  to  this  Wilson  states :  "To  both  these  tenden- 
cies is  related  the  growth-process  to  which  the  future 
embryo  will  owe  its  form  and  every  attempt  to  explain 
the  position  of  the  cells  and  the  direction  of  cleavage 
must  reckon  with  the  morphological  process  taken  as 
a  whole — not  merely  a  cell,  dividing  under  the  stress  of 
rude  mechanical  conditions ;  it  is  beyond  this,  a  builder 
who  lays  one  stone  here,  another  there,  each  of  which 
is  placed  with  reference  to  future  development.  Yet  such 
eggs  when  released  of  pressure  continue  to  segment  with- 
out re-arrangement  of  the  nuclei  and  give  rise  to  perfect, 
normal  larvae." 

Driesh  and  Hartwig  say,  "The  cells  produced  by  cleav- 
age are  completely  equivalent  and  indifferent  and  they 
may  be  thrown  about  like  balls  in  a  pile  without  the  least 
degree  impairing  thereby  the  normal  power  of  develop- 
ment." 

It  seems  to  me  this  should  settle  the  question  as  to 
whether  the  actions  of  the  cell  are  guided  by  intelligence 
or  whether  by  merely  blind  chemical  force.  If  you  tear 
down  an  ant  hill  it  will  again  be  rebuilt.  The  same  will 
be  done  if  a  wind  or  some  other  cause  tear  down  struc- 
tures produced  and  occupied  by  man.  Structures  pro- 
duced or  torn  down  by  the  blind  forces  will  not  be  re- 
built. Notice  that  the  author  stated  that  the  builder,  the 


CAUSE   OF  HEREDITY  279 

cell,  is  a  person  who  "lays  one  stone  here,  another  brick 
there,  with  reference  to  future  development."  How  does 
a  skilled  architect  proceed  to  lay  the  foundations  for  his 
structures?  He  would  also  do  the  same  thing.  He  would 
lay  one  stone  here,  another  there,  having  in  view  and  in 
mind  all  the  time  what  kind  of  a  structure  it  is  going  to 
be  when  it  is  finished.  It  is  just  as  necessary  for  the  cell 
in  building  the  skeleton  on  which  the  rest  of  the  body  will 
be  supported  that  he  place  and  arrange  the  material  and 
particles  of  lime  just  so  and  all  in  the  right  place,  keeping 
in  view  what  he  intends  to  ultimately  accomplish,  as  it  is 
for  the  skilled  architect  in  building  a  house  or  a  machine. 
The  cell  must  build  the  skeleton  from  lime,  phosphorous, 
etc.,  the  ingredients  must  be  mixed  in  proper  proportions 
and  placed  in  the  right  place.  So  must  man  mix  the  mate- 
rials of  concrete  and  stone  and  place  them  in  the  right 
place.  The  builder  must  have  a  mind  that  knows  what  is 
necessary  and  required  at  every  step.  The  following  by 
Mr.  Wilson  will  illustrate  how  the  cell  in  building  animals 
or  plants  must  have  the  material  with  which  to  build  or 
else  it  cannot  produce  another  individual  like  the  one  from 
which  it  came.  He  says : 

"Every  little  organism  at  every  stage  of  its  existence 
reacts  to  its  environment  by  physiological  and  morpho- 
logical changes.  The  developing  embryo  like  the  adult  is 
a  moving  equilibrium — a  product  of  the  response  of  the 
inherited  organization  to  the  external  stimuli  working 
upon  it.  If  the  stimuli  be  altered,  development  is  altered. 
This  is  beautifully  shown  by  the  experiments  of  Herbst 
and  others  on  the  development  of  sea  urchins.  Pouchet 
and  Chabry  showed  that  if  the  embryos  of  these  animals 
be  made  to  develop  in  sea  water  containing  no  lime  salt, 
the  larvae  fails  to  develop  not  only  its  calcareous  skele- 
ton but  also  its  ciliated  arms  and  a  larvae  thus  results 


280     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

that  resembles  in  some  particulars  an  entirely  different 
specific  form."  You  will  notice  that  if  no  lime  is  at  hand 
the  cells  cannot  produce  the  skeleton. 

Before  going  into  further  discussion  of  development  in 
general,  I  wish  to  call  the  reader's  attention  again  to  the 
fact  that  the  cell  is  an  animal  divided  into  three  general 
departments,  the  centrosome,  which  is  the  general  super- 
intendent, the  nucleus,  which  seems  to  represent  the 
skilled  workers,  and  the  cytoplasm  or  the  main  body, 
which  does  the  general  labor  such  as  muscular  work,  etc. 
This  shows  clearly  that  the  animal  has  special  organs  and 
that  there  is  division  of  labor.  Mr.  Wilson  calls  our  at- 
tention to  it  in  the  following  language  after  fully  dis- 
cussing the  matter:  "The  facts  reviewed  in  the  forego- 
ing pages  converge  to  the  conclusion  that  the  differentia- 
tion of  the  cell-substance  into  nucleus  and  cytoplasm  is 
the  expression  of  a  fundamental,  physiological  division  of 
labor  in  the  cell  *  *  *."  Hemmingway  concludes  that 
"the  centrosome  is  the  motor  center  of  the  kinoplasm, 
both  for  the  external  and  for  internal  manifestation.  Len- 
hossek  regards  them  as  motors  for  the  control  of  ciliatory 
action  as  well  as  for  the  spermatozoon  and  perhaps  also 
for  that  of  the  nucleus  fibrillae."  Zimmerman  concludes 
that  the  micro-centrosome  is  the  motor  center  of  the  cell, 
also  that  it  controls  ciliary  action.  It  is  important  to  have 
a  general  idea  of  the  make  up  of  the  cell  and  to  remember 
that  he  is  a  very  highly  organized  and  specialized  being. 
First  there  is  a  general  manager  called  the  centrosome, 
next  a  multitude  of  skilled  workers  or  submanagers 
called  nucleus  or  chromatin  granules,  and  next,  the  gen- 
eral laborers  or  workers  called  the  cytoplasm. 

I  wish  now  to  call  the  reader's  attention  to  one  very 
important  discovery  and  that  is  in  reference  to  the  future 
actions  of  the  cells  in  the  building  of  the  animal.  Why 


CAUSE   OF  HEREDITY  281 

do  some  cells  know  how  to  do  this  work  in  the  body  and 
some  another  kind  of  work?  I  stated  before  that  the  nu- 
cleus contained  the  crowds  of  skilled  workers,  who  are 
informed  and  trained  in  all  the  work  necessary  to  build 
the  entire  animal.  There  is  evidently  in  the  nucleus  of 
every  germ  cell  a  multitude  of  primordial  cells  with  spe- 
cific training-  for  each  specific  department  of  work  to  be 
done  in  the  body,  such  as  brain  work,  digestive  work, 
muscle  work,  respiratory  work,  etc.  When  the  cell  under- 
takes to  perform  some  specific  work,  for  instance  a  brain 
cell  or  liver  cell,  he  has  no  use  for  those  other  skilled  work- 
ers in  the  nucleus  that  are  not  necessary  to  help  him  in  his 
department,  and  so  they  are  excused  from  further  service. 

This  was  a  very  important  discovery,  and  Mr.  Wilson 
has  the  following  to  say  in  this  matter :  "Boveries'  re- 
markable observation  on  the  nuclei  of  primordial  germ 
cells  demonstrates  the  truth  of  this  view  in  a  particular 
case,  for  here  all  the  somatic  nuclei  lose  a  portion  of  their 
chromatin  and  only  the  progenitors  of  the  germ  nuclei 
retain  the  entire  ancestral  heritage.  Boveries  himself  has 
in  a  measure  pointed  out  the  significance  of  his  discovery, 
insisting  that  the  specific  development  of  the  tissue  cells 
is  conditioned  by  specific  changes  in  the  chromatin  that 
they  receive.  It  hardly  seems  possible  to  doubt  that  the 
limitation  of  the  somatic  cell  in  respect  to  the  power  of 
development  arises  through  a  loss  of  particular  portions 
of  the  chromatin.  Its  application  to  development  be- 
comes clearer  when  we  consider  the  nature  of  the  'nuclear 
control'  of  the  cell,  i.e.  the  action  of  the  nuclei  upon  the 
cytoplasm." 

This  goes  further  to  prove  what  a  highly  organized  and 
specialized  individual  the  cell  really  is.  Just  consider 
its  actions!  In  the  first  place,  each  new  one  takes  his 
place  as  it  multiplies.  One  group  stations  itself  where 


282  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 

the  leg  is  going  to  be ;  others  where  the  brain  and  head 
are  going  to  be;  another  where  the  liver  will  be,  and  so 
on  Each  group  goes  to  work  in  harmony  and  with  an 
understanding  with  all  the  others. 

Let  us  now  briefly  consider  what  problems  the  cell  has 
to  contend  with,  in  the  building  of  an  animal  or  man.  It 
must  remember  the  correct  place  to  begin  and  the  posi- 
tion of  every  part  must  be  calculated  to  the  minutest  frac- 
tion in  its  relation  to  other  parts.  We  see  from  their 
actions  that  the  true  position  and  place  of  every  part  must 
be  profoundly  inscribed  in  their  memory.  Even  if  some 
accident  happened  to  displace  them,  they  do  not  get  mixed 
up  and  forget  the  true  position  of  the  parts,  but  they  take 
their  correct  positions  again.  Perfect  plans  and  outlines 
of  the  structures  must  be  indelibly  fixed  in  their  memory. 
In  this  little  room  we  call  the  womb,  provided  specifically 
for  their  work,  sheltered  from  the  elements  and  disturb- 
ances of  the  outside  world,  they  must  lay  the  foundations 
of  the  future  structure,  keeping  in  mind  that  their  struc- 
ture must  soon  be  moved  outside.  There  must  be  assur- 
ance of  memory,  accurate  calculation,  skill  and  faithful 
industry.  This  multitude  of  independent  intellects  ac- 
cept their  work  and  proceed  in  perfect  harmony  and  com- 
plete their  allotted  tasks,  if  possible.  They  never  get 
discouraged,  disappointed  nor  lose  faith  in  the  future  or 
the  purpose  for  which  they  start  to  work.  In  a  room  with 
nothing  to  direct  them,  they  must  lay  the  plans  for  the 
future  cell  republic,  and  correctly  they  must  mark  out 
the  locations  of  the  parts  of  the  machine  or  habitation 
that  must  be  produced  as  quickly  and  economically  as 
possible.  In  this  labyrinth  of  complicated  parts  existing 
only  in  their  memory,  the  numerous  requirements  of  the 
large  cell  colony  must  be  considered.  They  must  remem- 
ber how  the  different  needs  of  the  cell  colony  or  city  were 


CAUSE   OF  HEREDITY  283 

taken  care  of  in  the  body  from  which  they  came.  They 
must  remember  how  the  special  committees  were  ap- 
pointed to  take  charge  of  this  and  that  department.  They 
must  remember  all  the  different  things  necessary  to  run 
the  social  organization  of  the  cell  colony  which  we  call 
animal.  The  gathering  and  storage  of  food,  the  distribu- 
tion of  the  same,  general  information,  policemen,  trades- 
men, etc, — all  this  work  must  be  taken  care  of  and  pushed 
along  according  to  the  records  of  the  past.  The  streets, 
passages  and  stores  must  be  placed  at  such  places,  and 
made  of  such  material  as  they  think  best,  that  is  in  accord- 
ance with  what  they  can  remember  from  their  past  ex- 
perience. How  do  we  know  that  the  cell  has  the  power 
of  memory?  We  can  prove  it  in  many  ways.  First,  we 
know  that  the  cells  in  our  brain — our  thinking  cells,  have 
the  power  of  memory.  We  know  that  a  brain  cell  is  no 
different  from  any  other  cell  of  our  body.  Ideas  come 
and  go  in  our  minds.  My  acts  of  yesterday  or  twenty  or 
fifty  years  ago  appear  before  me  and  go  away  like  actors 
on  the  stage  or  in  a  moving  picture.  When  the  actions 
took  place  fifty  years  ago,  they  were  preserved  in  a  record 
in  such  a  manner  that  they  are  ready  and  available  for 
future  use  and  reference.  We  speak  of  the  unconscious 
life  or  unconscious  mind,  and  unconscious  memory.  It 
would  be  more  correct  to  speak  of  the  mind  and  memory 
of  those  cells  of  the  body  that  are  not  immediately  con- 
nected with  our  senses.  It  is  now,  however,  generally 
understood  that  memory  belongs  to  both  consciousness 
and  unconsciousness. 

The  muscles  of  the  body  could  not  be  trained  to  per- 
form any  difficult  act  if  they  did  not  possess  the  power 
of  memory.  I  begin  tc  run  my  automobile  at  first  very 
slowly — every  act  must  be  directed  with  my  conscious- 
ness. After  a  while  certain  nerve  centers  or  cells  learn 


284     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

what  is  wanted  and  take  full  charge  of  the  business  of 
running-  the  auto,  so  that  my  consciousness  (which  is  the 
cells  in  charge  of  my  sense  organs)  can  attend  to  some- 
thing else.  So  it  is  with  walking,  balancing  or  playing  a 
piano.  These  acts  are  taken  charge  of  by  certain  cells 
or  little  brains,  as  they  are  sometimes  called,  and  it  is  the 
consciousness  of  these  cells  that  has  charge  of  and  directs 
the  various  actions  of  the  muscles  of  the  arm  in  steering 
the  auto  or  playing  the  piano.  All  movements  we  per- 
form are  the  results  of  long  difficult  practice,  except  some 
inborn  actions  we  call  instinct. 

The  medical  profession  now  well  knows  the  reason  why 
a  person  can  become  immune  to  any  particular  disease. 
The  immunity  is  based  on  the  memory  of  the  cells  of  our 
bodies,  especially  the  white  cells  or  those  whose  business 
it  is  to  look  after  the  welfare  of  the  body  in  general.  They 
can  remember  for  fifty  years  any  experience  in  the  past 
in  fighting  such  dangerous  enemies  as  the  germs  of 
typhoid,  diphtheria,  smallpox,  etc.,  and  whenever  any 
such  bacteria  get  into  the  body  after  having  had  a  pre- 
vious experience  with  them  they  do  not  allow  them  any 
chance  to  live,  multiply  and  spread  into  the  body,  but 
they  are  immediately  attacked  and  exterminated  by  these 
white  cells  as  fast  as  they  appear.  Before  they  have  had 
an  attack  by  disease  germs,  and  suffered  the  serious  and 
dangerous  experiences  resulting  from  such  attacks,  they 
are  generally  careless,  so  that  the  disease  germs  get  time 
to  multiply  and  spread  all  through  the  body  before  their 
dangerous  character  is  discovered.  Relying  upon  these 
facts  the  medical  profession  make  "serums"  which  are 
merely  dead  bodies  of  disease  germs  suspended  in  a  liquid 
and  when  injected  into  the  blood  stream  they  frighten 
the  white  cells  by  leading  them  to  think  the  disease  germs 
have  gotten  into  the  body  at  some  place,  and  they  im- 


CAUSE   OP   HEREDITY  285 

mediately  prepare  to  fight  the  disease.  However,  we  find 
that  no  "reaction,"  as  they  call  it,  takes  place  unless  the 
body  cells  have  had  some  previous  serious  experiencc 
with  the  particular  germ  injected.  For  instance,  if  a 
person  has  been  sick  with  tuberculosis,  and  never  had 
typhoid,  the  injection  of  dead  typhoid  germs  will  create 
no  disturbance  in  the  body  but  the  dead  or  live  tubercu- 
lar germs  will  do  so,  even  fifty  years  after  the  disease  was 
cured.  They  remember  their  experiences  fifty  years  back. 

I  can  remember  how  my  consciousness  had  to  direct 
each  finger  when  I  first  started  to  play  the  piano.  Now 
consciousness  needs  only  give  a  hint  as  to  what  is  wanted 
and  my  nerve  centers  take  full  charge  of  the  matter  and 
execute  the  necessary  acts.  If  my  consciousness  should 
be  compelled  to  direct  every  detailed  muscular  act  or 
motion,  nothing  could  be  accomplished  worth  while.  If 
the  judge  in  the  district  court  had  to  look  after  the  execu- 
tion of  all  his  orders  and  judgments,  he  would  have  no 
time  to  do  the  judging  and  directing.  If  the  cells  of  the 
body  did  not  all  possess  the  power  of  memory,  how  could 
they  be  instructed  and  trained  to  perform  the  different 
acts  required. 

The  mind  of  any  individual  is  entirely  based  on  his 
memory.  All  our  ideas  and  conceptions  are  based  upon 
it,  we  could  form  no  ideas  or  judgments  without  a  past 
experience  to  refer  to.  We  know  from  the  way  the  cells 
are  connected  and  in  touch  with  each  other,  that  what 
one  knows  can  easily  be  known  by  the  others,  if  it  should 
be  necessary  to  their  business.  We  notice  how  they  work 
together  in  the  case  of  sex  instinct.  The  nerve  centers  in 
charge  of  the  business  of  perpetuating  the  race  are  able 
to  make  the  thinking  cells  connected  with  one's  senses 
or  consciousness  believe  that  a  certain  female  is  abso- 
lutely indispensable  to  one's  existence.  The  sex  cells  are 


286     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

able  to  present  the  female  to  the  thinking  cells  as  the 
only  thing  worth  living  for.  The  nerve  centers  directing 
the  muscular  movement  of  your  arm  steering  the  automo- 
bile must  have  a  mental  picture  of  the  ground  ahead  at 
all  times  just  as  your  conscious  mind  must  have.  The 
picture  of  the  ground  is  transmitted  direct  to  the  nerve 
cells  in  charge  of  the  special  business  of  guiding  the  auto- 
mobile. In  the  same  manner  the  picture  of  the  surround- 
ings is  transmitted  direct  to  the  skin  cells  of  the  fish  that 
is  able  to  change  his  color  at  will.  This  shows  clearly 
how  the  cells  are  able  to  keep  each  other  informed  in 
every  line  of  action. 

As  bearing  upon  heredity,  it  is  interesting  to  note  that 
the  cells  in  the  sex  organs  set  apart  to  build  another  being 
at  the  proper  time  are  in  very  close  communication  with 
every  part  of  the  body.  They  are  in  close  touch  with 
each  other.  Every  cell  has  the  same  power  of  memory 
as  the  other.  We  know  mind  cells  can  remember  acts 
performed  by  the  individual  in  his  childhood.  The  cells 
build  from  memory.  That  is  also  proven  by  the  fact  that 
no  living  being  or  animal  is  able  to  remember  just  ex- 
actly, but  he  will  remember  well  enough  so  that  his  pro- 
ductions will  resemble  his  previous  productions  or  the 
place  he  came  from  more  closely  than  any  other  produc- 
tions. He  cannot  produce  a  structure  just  exactly  like 
the  place  he  came  from,  but  it  will  be  as  near  to  it  as  he 
can  remember.  This  fact  will  apply  to  all  living  beings 
from  the  cell  to  man.  You  can  generally  tell  by  the  ac- 
tions of  a  person  and  from  his  business  what  he  is,  what 
his  experiences  have  been  and  what  is  recorded  in  his 
memory.  When  we  remember  the  manner  in  which  the 
cell  multiplies  we  can  see  that  his  past  experiences  are 
passed  on  from  generation  to  generation  like  a  continu- 
ous record.  It  seems  to  me  very  clear  how  one  individual 


CAUSE   OP   HEREDITY  287 

can  produce  another  one  like  himself  when  we  consider 
the  facts.  Every  organ  in  the  body  as  a  whole  can  be 
trained ;  the  hand  can  be  trained  to  do  this  and  that  until 
it  remembers  just  how  to  do  it.  For  instance  in  writing, 
every  cell  of  the  hand  must  remember  the  different  move- 
ments. You  can  train  the  eye,  arm  or  leg  by  repetition, 
just  as  you  can  the  mind  or  thinking  cells.  One  will 
learn  as  well  as  the  other.  Memory  is  a  fact.  It  is  a 
faculty  possessed  by  all  the  cells.  We  know  by  our  own 
experience  that  our  mind  is  a  record  of  the  past.  The 
records  of  past  events  and  experiences  are  piling  up  all 
the  time.  The  records  are  there,  but  the  most  difficult 
thing  to  do  sometimes  is  to  find  the  one  we  want,  and  we 
say  we  have  forgotten. 

It  has  been  proven  that  cells  are  always  of  the  same 
size.  In  reference  to  this  Wilson  states :  "Measurement 
of  the  cells  from  the  epidermis,  kidney,  liver,  then  alimen- 
tary epithelium  and  other  tissues,  shows  that  they  are  on 
the  whole  as  large  in  dwarfs  as  in  giants,  and  the  same 
appears  to  be  the  case  in  the  plants."  In  the  same  man- 
ner the  size  of  a  house  or  an  ant  hill  has  no  effect  on  the 
size  of  the  individuals  that  build  and  occupy  it. 

Walker  states  that  it  is  easy  to  see  how  individual  char- 
acters can  be  transmitted  from  parent  to  offspring.  He 
states :  "How  this  happens  in  the  case  of  the  individual 
character  is  easy  to  see,  for  we  have  individual  entities, 
the  chromosomes,  that  are  distributed  from  cell  genera- 
tion to  cell  generation,  from  parents  to  offspring,  in  a 
manner  that  coincides  exactly  with  the  behavior  of  the 
individual  character." 

We  come  now  to  consider  the  question  of  the  trans- 
mission of  individual  characters.  There  are  some  who 
claim  that  the  action  of  the  environment  will  cause  varia- 
tion and  different  characters  in  the  offspring.  This  prop- 


288     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

osition  is  true  to  a  certain  extent,  that  is,  if  it  is  a  cold 
climate  the  length  of  the  hair  will  be  long;  if  it  is  warm, 
it  will  be  short.  In  the  same  way  man  will  vary  his 
houses  and  his  bodily  covering  as  to  best  serve  his  needs, 
but  to  say  that  it  is  the  climate  that  puts  up  the  house 
or  makes  the  coat  and  puts  it  on  the  man's  back  is  simply 
absurd.  It  is  the  intelligence  and  industry  of  man  that 
makes  the  coat  and  builds  the  house.  In  precisely  the 
same  way,  if  it  is  necessary,  the  cell  communities  are  able 
to  change  or  vary  the  structure.  Regarding  this  matter 
Walker  states :  "The  action  of  the  environment  upon  an 
organism  has  been  claimed  by  some  writers  as  the  cause 
of  variation  in  its  offspring.  In  considering  this  question, 
it  is  necessary  to  have  a  very  clear  idea  of  what  it  means. 
We  have  seen  that  the  environment  may  produce  very 
great  modifications  in  the  individual.  These  modifica- 
tions are  acquired  characters  and  appear  in  the  individual 
at  different  periods  of  its  life  in  response  to  stimuli  from 
without.  They  are  not  inborn  characters  and  unless  the 
necessary  stimulus  is  applied  they  will  not  appear."  You 
notice  his  statement  that  if  these  modifications  are  not 
necessary,  they  do  not  appear.  In  the  case  of  man,  if  he 
does  not  use  the  shovel  and  the  hoe,  but  only  the  pen,  the 
inside  of  his  hand  will  be  nearly  as  soft  as  any  other  part 
of  his  body.  However,  if  he  should  change  his  occupa- 
tion, the  inside  of  his  hand  will  develop  a  thick  horny 
covering.  Why?  Because  if  the  skin  cells  inside  of  his 
hand  did  not  build  up  these  buffers,  the  spade  handle 
would  very  soon  cut  through  the  skin  and  tendons  and 
destroy  the  hand.  The  evolutionist  will  say  that  the  work 
and  the  spade  handle  provided  for  and  built  up  those 
callouses  in  the  man's  hand.  The  climate  will  not  build 
hair  or  make  a  coat  nor  will  the  spade  handle  build  a 
horny  covering  to  protect  the  inside  of  the  man's  hand. 


CAUSE   OF  HEREDITY  289 

When  I  helped  load  a  wagon  with  concrete  tile,  I  had  to 
stop  and  get  a  pair  of  gloves,  because  the  rubbing  of  the 
rough  tile  against  the  end  of  my  fingers  soon  wore  away 
the  protecting  outer  skin,  and  unless  I  had  provided  pro- 
tection in  some  way,  the  tips  of  my  fingers  would  soon 
have  started  to  bleed.  The  callous  under  your  feet  and 
the  sole  leather  in  your  shoes  are  produced  for  one  and 
the  same  purpose.  The  ground  will  not  produce  shoes 
or  callouses  to  cover  your  feet  nor  will  the  tile  produce 
gloves  or  the  callous  covering  to  protect  your  hands. 
Man  must  produce  the  shoes  and  gloves  and  the  cell  must 
produce  the  callous. 

We  might  again  consider  some  of  the  sexual  characters 
referred  to  heretofore.  Mr.  Walker  has  the  following  to 
say  on  that  subject:  "Secondary  sexual  characters  are 
those  which  though  appearing  in  all  individuals  of  the 
same  sex  and  not  in  those  of  the  other  sex  are  not  con- 
nected directly  with  the  sexual  function,  that  is,  with  re- 
production. Such  characters  are  the  beard  and  voice  of 
a  man  and  the  antlers  of  the  stag.  There  is  a  great  deal 
of  evidence  which  suggests  that  the  potentiality  of  pro- 
ducing these  characters  is  present  in  the  individuals  of 
both  sexes.  Among  mammals  and  birds  we  constantly 
find  that  the  characters  of  the  young  male  are  those  of  the 
female  minus  of  course  a  few  special  characters.  The 
plumage  of  the  young  cock  pheasant  is  similar  to  that  of 
the  adult  female.  A  boy's  voice  is  similar  to  that  of  a 
woman.  If  during  infancy  the  sexual  glands  are  removed 
from  a  male  animal  the  male  secondary  sexual  characters 
do  not  appear.  Not  only  are  the  physical  characters  such 
as  changing  the  voice  and  plumage  inhibited,  but  mental 
character  such  as  pugnacity  do  not  develop.  There  are 
some  direct  experiments  which  suggest  very  strongly 
that  the  appearance  of  the  secondary  sexual  characters 


290     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

is  dependent  on  the  presence  in  the  body  of  the  sexual 
glands." 

You  will  notice  that  it  is  the  same  also  with  these  sex 
characters.  They  are  not  produced  unless  necessary. 
The  history  of  the  human  race  shows  that  man  battled 
with  his  fellow  man  for  the  possession  of  the  female  and 
in  this  battle  it  was  an  advantage  to  employ  these  mascu- 
line characters.  It  is  also  plain  that  it  was  a  method  of 
preparedness,  both  offensive  and  defensive,  instigated  by 
the  sexual  cells  as  soon  as  they  felt  ready  to  possess  or 
defend  a  female.  We  find  that  if  the  instigators  are  re- 
moved no  sexual  characters  are  developed. 

In  insects  we  have  the  most  wonderful  illustration  of 
the  tearing  down  or  destruction  of  one  structure  and  with 
the  same  material  rebuilding  it  into  a  new  and  different 
structure.  For  instance,  the  cells  first  build  a  caterpillar 
or  worm ;  this  worm  as  a  structure  is  demolished  by  those 
same  cells  who  put  it  up  and  a  new  and  different  struc- 
ture is  put  up  with  the  same  material,  known  as  a  moth 
or  butterfly.  In  some  other  cases,  if  the  worm  is  cut  in 
two,  each  half  will  be  torn  down  by  its  occupants  and  the 
half  will  again  be  rebuilt  into  a  complete  worm,  but  each 
worm  will  be  only  half  the  size  by  reason  of  the  lack  of 
material.  There  is  nothing  mysterious  about  this  because 
the  structure  is  of  no  use  as  it  is,  so  the  only  thing  to  do 
is  to  tear  it  down  entirely  and  rebuild  it.  Man  would  do 
the  same  thing  if  someone  cut  away  half  of  our  house  and 
we  had  no  other  material  to  fix  it  with,  the  only  thing  to 
do  would  be  to  tear  it  down  entirely  and  with  the  mate- 
rial build  a  smaller  one.  Wilson  has  the  following  to  say 
on  this  subject : 

"Morgan's  remarkable  observation  on  'planaria'  finally 
shows  that  here  also  when  the  animal  is  cut  into  pieces, 
complete  animals  are  produced  from  these  pieces  but 


CAUSE   OF   HEREDITY  291 

only  in  small  degrees  through  the  formation  of  new  tis- 
sues and  mainly  by  direct  remolding  of  the  old  material 
into  a  new  body,  having  the  correct  proportion  of  the 
species." 

Coming  back  to  the  question  of  variation  I  quote  the 
following  from  Mr.  Walker:  "Variability  appears  to  be 
a  property  common  to  all  living  organisms  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  individual  animals  and  plants  produce  new  in- 
dividuals that  are  generally  similar  to  themselves.  For 
instance,  if  a  collie  dog  be  mated  with  another  collie,  the 
pups  produced  will  grow  to  about  the  same  size  as  their 
parent,  they  will  have  similarly  shaped  heads  and  be 
similar  in  general.  Every  individual  in  the  litter  of  pups 
will  differ  in  some  way  from  its  brothers  and  sisters  and 
also  from  its  parents.  But  though  these  differences  are 
very  evident,  upon  careful  examination  they  are  in  the 
overwhelming  majority  of  instances  comparatively  small 
differences.  The  pups  will  in  fact,  though  differing  from 
their  parents,  still  resemble  them  beyond  all  comparison 
more  nearly  than  they  will  resemble  a  fox-terrior  or  any 
other  breed  of  dog."  Now  this  is  just  what  we  should 
expect,  that  the  cells  would  build  the  pups  as  nearly  like 
the  parents  as  they  could  remember,  but  we  know  that 
in  building  anything  from  memory,  it  is  not  likely  that 
the  structures  will  be  exactly  alike.  However  here  is  a 
different  proposition  stated  by  Mr.  Walker:  "The  cry- 
stalline lens  of  the  eye  is  produced  from  epiblast  but  when 
it  is  removed  in  the  salamander  the  new  lens  grows  from 
cells  that  were  produced  from  the  mesoblast.  Under 
normal  conditions  mesoblast  cells  in  the  salamander 
would  never  become  modified  into  anything  at  all  like  the 
crystalline  lens.  Here  the  mesoblastic  cells  have  still 
retained  the  general  potentiality  of  the  fertilized  ovum 
in  a  very  high  degree  and  are  able  to  reproduce  such  a 


292  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

specialized  structure  as  the  lens  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
under  normal  conditions  this  is  only  produced  from  epl- 
blastic  cells. 

"Some  butterflies  vary  greatly  in  their  appearance  at 
different  times  of  the  year,  so  that  they  are  protected  by 
their  similarity  to  their  surroundings  in  both  the  wet  and 
dry  seasons,  when  conditions  vary  enormously.  The  dif- 
ference is  so  great  in  some  cases,  that  the  wet  and  dry 
season  phases  have  been  classed  as  different  species. 
'Naturalists  were  fairly  astounded  when  in  1898  Mr.  Guy 
K.  Marshall  first  bred  the  black  and  blue  dry  season 
Preus  sesamus  from  the  black  and  red  Precis  natalensis. 
The  two  butterflies  differ  in  size,  form,  pattern,  colors, 
relation  of  upper  to  under  surface  and  habits." 

This  again  certainly  illustrates  the  same  fact  that  the 
cells  will  produce  such  structures  and  habitations  as  will 
be  necessary  to  protect  their  lives  or  that  may  be  required 
in  any  particular  place  or  under  particular  circumstances. 
Like  does  not  produce  like,  as  is  the  case  in  chemical  and 
natural  forces,  but  such  things  will  be  produced  as  will 
be  required  and  are  reasonably  necessary.  Such  color  will 
be  provided  as  will  most  likely  deceive  his  enemies  and 
save  his  life  and  the  same  will  be  done  by  a  general  in  the 
English  army.  The  mesoblast  cells  understood  how  to 
make  a  lens  for  the  eye,  and  when  it  became  necessary  it 
was  produced. 

The  following  by  Mr.  Walker  in  reference  to  the  ac- 
tions of  some  insects  is  also  interesting:  "There  is  a 
phenomenon  in  nature  so  striking  and  so  general  that  no 
theory  of  evolution  can  be  accepted  as  plausible,  or  even 
possible,  which  fails  to  explain  it.  This  is  the  extraor- 
dinary adaptation  of  living  organisms  to  their  surround- 
ings. Not  only  are  they  adapted  to  their  physical  con- 
dition but  above  all  to  each  other.  The  mutation  hypo- 


CAUSE  OF  HEREDITY  293 

thesis  not  only  fails  to  explain  this,  but  a  careful  consid- 
eration of  its  postulates  shows  that  the  co-adaptation  of 
living  organisms  to  each  other  and  to  their  environment 
and  the  origin  of  species  by  mutation  are  incompatible. 
There  is  no  living  organism  which  would  not  serve  as  an 
example  of  the  phenomenon  of  adaptation.  We  must, 
however,  consider  a  few  individual  cases  in  order  to  real- 
ize its  full  significance. 

"Sitaris  humeralis,  a  beetle  belonging  to  the  family 
cantharidae  is  a  parasite  upon  the  solitary  bee,  antho- 
phora.  The  female  Sitaris  lays  over  2,000  eggs,  burying 
them  in  the  earth  near  the  entrance  to  the  nests  of  the  bee. 
These  eggs  hatch,  producing  larvae,  which  possess  six 
legs,  as  is  usual  in  the  larvae  of  beetles.  The  larvae  are 
triungulins,  that  is,  they  possess  three  claws  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  each  leg.  This  is  exceptional  among  beetle 
larvae.  The  larvae  hibernate  until  the  following  spring 
when  they  become  active.  They  do  not,  however,  try  to 
enter  the  nests  of  the  bees,  but  attach  themselves  to  any 
hairy  object  that  happens  to  approach  them.  No  discrim- 
ination is  shown  in  the  choice  of  an  object  beyond  the 
fact  that  it  must  be  hairy.  The  majority  of  the  larvae  are 
doomed  to  extermination  for  they  attach  themselves  to 
any  hairy  object  with  which  they  come  in  contact  and 
there  is  a  vastly  greater  number  of  chances  that  they  will 
fix  upon  the  wrong  than  upon  the  right  insect.  The} 
have  been  found  upon  hairy  beetles,  flies  and  bees  of  the 
wrong  kind.  Those,  however,  which  are  fortunate  enough 
to  chance  upon  Anthophora  are  carried  to  the  nest.  Now 
the  male  Anthophora  appears  about  a  month  earlier  than 
the  female,  therefore,  most  Sitaris  that  arrive  at  their 
proper  destination  are  attached  to  the  males.  They  trans- 
fer themselves,  however,  to  the  female.  When  the  female 
Anthophora  lays  her  eggs  in  the  cells  of  the  nest  the 


294     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

triungulin  larvae  slips  off  her  body  onto  the  egg  she  has 
just  deposited  upon  the  honey.  Here  the  larvae  remains, 
balanced  carefully  upon  the  egg,  for  if  it  left  for  the  honey, 
it  would  be  drowned.  The  bee  then  seals  up  the  cell,  and 
the  larvae  proceeds  to  eat  the  egg,  living  upon  its  con- 
tents for  about  eight  days.  It  remains  in  the  shell  of  the 
egg  during  this  time  for  it  would  be  suffocated  if  it  came 
into  contact  with  the  honey.  At  this  period  the  larva 
moults  and  appears  in  the  form  specially  adapted  to  float- 
ing upon  the  honey,  which  is  to  be  its  food  for  the  next 
six  weeks.  The  legs  of  the  triungulin  stage  have  disap- 
peared together  with  the  other  appendages  and  the  larva 
now  seems  but  little  more  than  a  vesicle.  It  is  shaped, 
however,  in  such  a  way  that  one  surface  must  float  upper- 
most in  the  honey,  and  round  this  surface  are  the  open- 
ings of  the  spiracles,  so  that  the  animal  is  adapted  to 
breathe  while  it  floats  passively  upon  the  surface  of  the 
honey,  which  is  its  food.  When  it  has  finished  the  honey 
it  is  metamorphosed  into  a  pseudopupa. 

Individual  Sitaris  may  vary  in  their  subsequent  life 
history  before  reaching  the  stage  of  the  perfect  insect, 
but  we  will  leave  these  stages  and  deal  with  those  de- 
scribed. The  main  adaptations  here  are :  the  numerous 
eggs  laid  by  the  female,  which  meet  the  high  mortality 
among  the  larvae,  the  three  claws  upon  the  leg,  which 
enable  the  larva  to  cling  to  the  bee ;  its  emergence  from 
hibernation  at  the  same  time  that  Anthophora  appears ; 
the  instinct  to  leave  the  male  bee  and  go  to  the  female 
and  to  leave  the  female  and  float  upon  the  egg;  the 
equally  remarkable  instinct  through  which  it  rigidly 
keeps  within  the  egg;  the  metamorphosis  into  a  shape 
unknown  among  other  beetles,  which  is  perfectly  adapted 
to  a  passive  existence,  floating  upon  the  honey  in  the  cell 
of  the  bee." 


CAUSE   OF  HEREDITY  295 

This  shows  the  wonderful  skill  and  intelligence  of  the 
cells  in  building  the  smaller  individuals  like  insects.  You 
will  notice  how  the  cells  are  able  to  change  the  form  of 
the  insect  as  it  becomes  necessary  to  effect  the  results 
desired.  Sometimes  he  is  this  and  again  he  is  that,  as 
circumstances  require.  In  the  past  ages  their  knowledge 
and  experience  in  life  have  taught  them  how  to  build  all 
these  different  structures  and  perform  all  these  different 
and  difficult  acts.  Their  memory  of  the  past  must  neces- 
sarily direct  them  in  every  act.  Those  actions  and  ex- 
periences are  their  knowledge,  that  is  to  say,  the  cells  that 
occupy  the  insect  and  build  these  different  forms,  co- 
operate in  a  social  way  and  build  these  structures  which 
are  adapted  and  required  in  order  to  be  able  to  rob  the 
bee  of  its  honey  and  convert  it  to  their  own  use. 

The  various  constructions  produced  by  the  cells  show 
that  they  produce  what  they  deem  necessary  and  what 
may  be  required  for  their  perpetuation  and  the  continu- 
ance of  life.  They  follow  no  fixed  rule,  but  have  an  ideal 
and  purpose,  which  one  also  finds  in  the  productions  of 
man.  Can  intelligent  man  equal  the  performance  of  this 
cell  colony  called  Sitaris?  I  think  not. 

Mr.  Binet  has  ventured  so  far  as  to  show  by  their  ac- 
tions that  they  must  be  possessed  of  instinct,  just  as 
animals  are  and  makes  the  following  statements : 

"We  may  reply  upon  this  point,  that  there  is  not  a 
single  ciliate  Infusory  that  cannot  be  frightened  and  that 
does  not  manifest  its  fear  by  a  rapid  flight  through  the 
liquid  of  the  preparation. 

"If  a  drop  of  acetic  acid  be  introduced  beneath  the 
glass  slide  in  a  preparation  containing  quantities  of  In- 
fusoria, the  latter  will  at  once  be  seen  to  flee  from  all 
directions  like  a  flock  of  frightened  sheep. 

"Memory,  according  to  M.  Romanes,  first  begins  with 


296     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

the  Echinoderms.  Now  Maebius,  upon  the  occasion  of  a 
treatise  upon  the  Folliculina  ampulla,  a  ciliated  Infusoria 
presenting  complicated  and  interesting  movements,  prop- 
erly remarks  that  every  time  an  animal  repeats  the  same 
action  under  influence  of  the  same  excitations,  that  fact 
proves  that  the  animal  is  possessed  of  a  memory.  In  fact 
memory  is  one  of  the  most  elementary  of  psychological 
facts. 

"Lastly  the  primary  instincts,  according  to  M.  Ro- 
manes, begin  first  with  the  larvae  of  insects  and  with 
annelids.  We  give  in  contradiction  of  this  statement  the 
recent  observations  of  Verworn,  which  reveal  the  exist- 
ence of  curious  instincts  among  the  rhizopods.  The 
DifHugia  urceolata,  which  inhabits  a  shell  formed  of  par- 
ticles of  sand  emits  long  pseudopodia,  which  search  at 
the  bottom  of  the  water  for  the  materials  necessary  to 
construct  a  new  case  for  the  filial  organism  to  which  it 
gives  birth  by  division.  The  pseudopod,  after  having 
touched  a  particle  of  sand,  contracts  and  the  grain  of  sand 
adhering  to  the  pseudopod  is  seen  to  pass  into  the  body  of 
the  animal.  Verworn  instead  of  grains  of  sand  placed 
small  fragments  of  colored  glass  about  the  animal ;  some 
time  afterward  he  noticed  a  heap  of  these  fragments  on 
the  bottom  of  the  shell.  He  then  saw  a  bunch  of  proto- 
plasm issue  from  the  cell,  representing  the  new  difflugia 
produced  by  division.  Thereupon  the  materials  collected 
by  the  mother-organism — the  fragments  of  colored  glass 
— came  forth  from  the  shell  and  enveloped  the  body  of  the 
new  individual  in  a  sheath  similar  to  that  encasing  the 
mother.  These  fragments  of  glass  loosely  interjoined  at 
first  were  now  cemented  together  by  a  substance  secreted 
by  the  body  of  the  animal. 

"Two  facts  are  to  be  remarked  in  this  observation : 
First — The  act  whereby  the  difBugia  collects  the  mater- 


CAUSE   OF   HEREDITY  297 

ials  for  providing-  the  young  individual  with  a  case  is  an 
act  of  preadaptation  to  an  end,  not  present  but  remote 
This  act,  therefore,  has  all  the  marks  of  an  instinct.  Fur- 
ther the  instinct  of  the  difflugia  exhibits  great  precision, 
for  the  difflugia  not  only  knows  how  to  distinguish  at  the 
bottom  of  the  water  the  material  available  for  its  purpose 
but  it  takes  only  the  quantity  of  material  necessary  to 
enable  the  young  individual  to  acquire  a  well  built  case ; 
there  is  never  an  excess. 

"It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  difflugia  does  not  act 
differently  from  animals  possessing  more  highly  compli- 
cated organization  and  endowed  with  differentiated  nerv- 
ous system,  as  for  instance,  the  larvae  of  Phryganids, 
which  form  their  sheaths  from  shells,  grains  of  sand  or 
minute  slivers.  We  shall  not  regard  it  as  strange,  per- 
haps, to  find  so  complete  a  psychology  in  the  history  of 
lower  organisms  when  we  recall  to  mind  that  agreeably 
to  the  ideas  of  evolution  now  accepted  a  higher  animal  is 
nothing  more  than  a  colony  of  protozoans.  Every  one  of 
the  cells  composing  such  an  animal  has  retained  its  primi- 
tive properties,  giving  them  a  higher  degree  of  perfection 
by  division  of  labor  and  by  selection.  The  epithelial  cells 
that  secrete  the  nails  and  the  hair  are  organisms  per- 
fected with  reference  to  the  secretion  of  protective  parts. 
Similarly  the  cells  of  the  brain  are  organisms  that  have 
been  perfected  with  reference  to  psychical  attributes." 

The  cells  described  here  by  Mr.  Binet  are  those  still 
living  a  single  life  in  the  water.  This  cell  has  the  habit 
of  making  a  case  around  himself  from  the  material  at 
hand.  If  no  fine  sand  is  at  hand,  he  is  able  to  use  pow- 
dered glass.  A  large  number  of  other  cells  use  the  lime 
and  other  material  found  in  solution  in  water  to  make 
their  shells  or  covering.  The  actions  of  these  single  cells 
are  not  instinctive  as  Mr.  Binet  suggests,  they  are  con- 


298     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 

scious  intelligent  acts.  The  cell  knows  what  he  wants 
and  what  he  is  doing.  As  far  as  his  experience  in  life  has 
been,  he  has  only  gone  so  far  as  to  make  for  himself  a 
covering  of  some  hard  material.  We  must  remember  that 
he  not  only  picks  up  such  grains  of  sand  or  glass  as  he 
thinks  necessary,  but  he  knows  how  to  change  this  ma- 
terial into  forms  and  substances  with  which  he  makes  a 
shell  and  covering  for  the  young  cell. 

You  can  see  that  he  must  have  a  knowledge  of  chem- 
istry and  also  of  the  right  proportions  of  mixing  the  mate- 
rial with  which  he  makes  his  armour.  He  must  understand 
how  to  dissolve  the  crude  matter  and  with  it  make  a  mix- 
ture that  will  harden  into  a  shell  after  having  first  been 
formed  into  the  proper  shape.  He  must  perform  all  this 
work,  having  in  mind  and  in  view  placing  therein  of  the 
young  cell  as  soon  as  he  gets  the  new  structure  completed. 
Every  act  in  this  performance  requires  the  same  purpose 
and  foresight  as  similar  actions  in  man. 

Mr.  Binet  also  gives  the  following  interesting  descrip- 
tion of  the  action  of  the  male  cell  in  animals : 

"Let  us  now  follow  the  spermatozoid  in  its  journey  to 
the  ovule.  It  is  known  that  the  road  it  has  to  travel  in 
certain  instances  is  extremely  long.  Thus  in  the  hen  the 
oviduct  measures  60  centimeters,  and  in  large  mammifers 
the  passages  have  a  length  of  from  25  to  30  centimeters. 
We  might  ask  ourselves  how  such  frail  and  minute  crea- 
tures come  by  a  power  of  locomotion  great  enough  to 
enable  them  to  traverse  so  long  a  path.  But  observation 
discloses  the  fact  that  they  are  able  to  overcome  obstacles 
quite  out  of  proportion  to  their  size.  Henle  has  seen 
spermatozoids  carry  along  with  them  masses  of  crystals 
ten  times  larger  than  themselves  without  appreciably  les- 
sening their  speed.  F.  A.  Pouchet  has  seen  them  carry 
bunches  of  from  8  to  10  blood  globules.  M.  Balbiani  has 


CAUSE   OF   HEREDITY  299 

attested  the  same  fact.  These  globules,  which  have  fast- 
ened themselves  about  the  head  of  the  spermatozoid  have 
each  a  volume  double,  that  of  the  head.  Now  according 
to  Welcker,  the  weight  of  the  globule  of  human  blood  is 
0.0008  of  a  milligram ;  allowing  that  the  spermatozoid  has 
the  same  weight,  we  may  then  say  that  it  is  able  to  carry 
burdens  four  or  five  times  heavier  than  itself." 

This  germ  cell  from  the  male  looking  for  the  female 
cell  certainly  shows  activity  and  a  will  power.  After 
considering  the  actions  of  the  male  cell,  Mr.  Binet  also 
makes  the  following  remarks :  "Another  remarkable  cir- 
cumstance is  that  the  copulation  of  the  two  sexual  ele- 
ments is  not  without  analogy  to  the  copulation  of  the  two 
animals  from  which  they  originated.  The  spermatozoid 
and  the  ovule  to  some  extent  repeat  on  a  small  scale 
what  the  two  individuals  perform  in  their  larger  sphere. 
Thus  it  is  the  spermatozoid  that  in  its  capacity  of  male 
element  goes  in  quest  of  the  female.  It  possesses,  in  view 
of  the  journeys  it  has  to  make,  organs  of  locomotion  that 
are  lacking  in  the  female  and  are  useless  to  it. 

"In  fine,  the  spermatic  element,  in  directing  itself  to- 
ward the  ovule  to  be  fecundated,  is  animated  by  the  same 
sexual  instinct  that  directs  the  parent  organism  towards 
its  female." 

This  is  only  what  we  should  necessarily  expect  when 
we  consider  the  matter.  The  intelligence  that  guides  the 
actions  of  man  or  animal  in  reference  to  their  mating  in- 
stinct is  and  must  be  the  same  as  that  of  the  germ  cell. 
The  actions  of  animals  called  the  mating  instinct  are  orig- 
inated and  instigated  by  these  very  germ  cells ;  that  fact 
is  shown  conclusively  by  the  removal  of  the  organ  con- 
taining the  cells. 

It  is  now  admitted,  I  believe,  that  habits  are  based  on 
the  power  of  memory  in  the  cell  or  organs  performing  the 


300 


CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 


actions.  If  the  cells  of  the  body  possess  the  power  of 
memory  so  as  to  be  able  to  remember  how  to  perform  the 
complicated  movements  involved  in  playing  a  piano,  guid- 
ing an  auto,  etc.,  it  seems  only  reasonable  that  the  germ 
cell  should  be  able  to  remember  how  to  build  another 
body  like  the  one  from  which  it  came,  especially  when  he 


M 


FIG.  43. — Seed-cells  or  sperm-cells  from  the  se 


broad  side  of  the  flattened,  pear-shaped  nucleus  portion  of  the  sperm-cell  (the  so- 
called  "head  of  the  sperm-animalcule")  is  represented  in  the  drawings  marked 
7;  the  narrow  side  in  those  marked  //  :  k,  kernel  of  the  sperm-cell;  m,  central 
portion  (protoplasm) ;  s,  active  tail-like  process  (whip)  ;  M ,  four  human  sperm- 
cells;  A,  two  sperm-cells  of  the  ape;  K,  of  the  rabbit;  H,  of  the  common  mouse; 
C,  of  the  dog;  S,  of  the  pig. — SCHUTE. 


has  been  set  aside  as  a  special  committee  to  look  after 
that  work  and  nothing  else.  The  cause  of  heredity,  then, 
is  the  memory  and  intellect  of  the  cell.  Memory  is  the 
power  possessed  by  the  cell  to  take  and  keep  a  record  of 
past  events  and  experiences  in  such  a  way  that  they  can 
be  used  and  referred  to  in  the  future  when  necessary  to 
guide  the  actions  of  the  individual.  Mr.  Ribot  states : 
"Some  recent  authors,  among  them  Dr.  Maudsley,  attri- 


CAUSE   OF   HEREDITY  301 

bute  a  memory  to  every  nerve  cell,  to  every  organic  e)e-  f 
ment  in  the  body.  Dr.  Maudsley  states :  'The  perman- 
ent effects  of  a  particular  virus,  such  as  that  of  variola  or 
syphilis  in  the  constitution  show  that  the  organic  ele- 
ment remembers  for  the  remainder  of  its  life  certain  modi- 
fications it  has  received.  The  manner  in  which  cicatrix 
in  a  child's  finger  grows  with  the  growth  of  the  body, 
proves,  as  has  been  shown  by  Paget,  that  the  organic 
element  of  the  part  does  not  forget  the  impression  it  has 
received.  What  has  been  said  about  the  different  nervous 
centers  of  the  body  demonstrates  the  existence  of  a  mem- 
ory in  the  nerve  cells  diffused  through  the  heart  and  the 
intestines ;  in  those  of  the  spinal  cord,  in  the  cells  of  the 
motor  ganglia,  in  the  cells  of  the  cortical  substance  of 
the  cerebral  hemisphere.'  " 

You  notice  that  he  calls  the  cell  "Organic  elements" 
and  "Cortical  substance,"  similar  to  Haeckel,  who  called 
them  "Plasm"  or  "Living  substance."  There  seems  to 
be  no  one  yet  who  seems  to  realize  what  the  cell  really  is. 
They  seem  to  think  that  because  he  is  small  he  is  merely 
a  living  matter  or  substance.  Those  who  know  his  vari- 
ous activities  seem  never  to  stop  to  consider  that  he  is  a 
very  highly  organized  and  specialized  being,  and  that  he 
is  possessed  of  a  number  of  special  organs,  the  purpose 
of  which  we  do  not  know.  While  we  see  and  know  con- 
siderable about  him,  still  our  knowledge  is  very  limited 
and  very  likely  he  has  many  powers  and  senses  we  yet 
know  nothing  about.  We  know  practically  nothing  about 
the  inner  life  of  the  primordial  being  of  which  the  cell  is 
composed.  We  may  some  day  be  able  to  produce  a  micro- 
scope powerful  enough  to  be  able  to  see  the  separate  ac- 
tions of  these  primordial  beings  that  we  now  call  cell 
granules,  and  if  so,  we  shall  likely  discover  the  first 


302    CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

We  can  see  enough  of  the  actions  of  the  cell  to  demon- 
strate, I  believe,  those  facts  which  I  claim  for  him.  Take 
for  instance  the  actions  of  the  single  cell  called  Didinium, 
which  is  able  to  make  darts  or  spears  and  throw  them  at 
its  victim  from  a  distance.  Its  actions  are  described  by 
Mr.  Binet  in  the  following  language :  "These  organs  are 
the  weapons  used  by  the  Didinium  in  attacking  the  live 
prey  which  constitutes  its  sole  nourishment.  Not  only 
does  it  attack  and  devour  animalcules  almost  as  large  as 
itself,  but  frequently  it  even  seizes  individuals  of  its  own 
kind.  In  such  cases  it  is  always  Infusoria  and  never  the 
Rotatoria,  although  the  latter  often  abound  in  waters 
which  the  Didinium  inhabits.  It  appears,  moreover,  to 
have  a  marked  predilection  for  certain  species  and  so  it 
happens  that  the  huge  and  inoffensive  paramecium  aure- 
lia  is  almost  always  its  choice  by  preference  among  the 
animalcules  that  inhabit  the  same  liquid. 

The  prehension  of  food  by  the  didinium  exhibits  inter- 
esting aspects  which  have  not  as  yet  been  observed  in 
any  other  Infusory.  M.  Balbiani  in  his  first  observations 
had  often  been  surprised  at  seeing  animalcules  that  the 
didinium  had  passed  by  without  touching,  suddenly  stop 
as  if  violently  paralyzed ;  whereupon  our  carnivorous 
specimen  straightway  approached  and  seized  them  with 
seeming  facility.  More  careful  examination  of  the  didin- 
ium's  actions  soon  furnished  the  key  to  this  enigma.  If, 
while  swiftly  turning  in  the  water,  the  didinium  happens 
into  the  neighborhood  of  an  animalculum;  say  parame- 
cium, which  it  is  going  to  capture,  it  begins  by  casting  at 
it  a  quantity  of  bacillary  corpuscles,  which  constitutes  its 
pharyngeal  armature.  The  paramecium  immediately 
stops  swimming  and  shows  no  other  sign  of  vitality  than 
feebly  to  beat  the  water  with  its  vibratile  cilia ;  on  every 
side  of  it,  the  darts  lie  scattered  that  were  used  to  strike 


CAUSE   OF  HEREDITY  303 

it.  Its  enemy  then  approaches  and  quickly  thrusts  forth 
from  its  mouth  an  organ  shaped  like  a  tongue,  relatively 
long  and  resembling  a  transparent  cylindrical  rod;  the 
free,  extended  extremity  of  this  rod  it  fastens  upon  some 
part  of  the  paramecium's  body.  The  latter  is  then  grad- 
ually brought  near,  by  the  recession  of  this  tongue  shaped 
organ  towards  the  buccal  aperture  of  the  didinium,  which 
opens  wide,  assuming  the  shape  of  a  vast  funnel  in  which 
the  prey  is  swallowed  up." 

We  have  hei;e  a  single  cell  who  has  built  around  him- 
self an  armor  hard  as  stone  for  his  own  protection  in  bat- 
tle with  other  cells  or  enemies.  He  has  made  holes  in 
regular  rows  around  his  body  covering,  through  which  he 
sticks  hands,  with  which  he  paddles  himself  through  the 
water.  He  also  makes  hundreds  of  darts  or  little  spears, 
which  he  carries  with  him  while  hunting  for  other  smaller 
cells  and  with  which  he  is  able  to  strike  and  kill  from  a 
distance  his  victims,  which  he  devours  as  his  food.  He 
must  be  able  to  see  and  judge  distances,  or  else  how  could 
he  guess  or  know  when  his  victim  was  within  striking 
distance?  He  must  be  able  to  feel  and  taste  or  else  how 
could  he  tell  when  he  had  hold  of  it  or  what  he  was  eating, 
and  so  on,  all  through  his  different  performances.  This 
being  is  a  cell.  It  multiplies  by  dividing  in  two,  in  the 
same  manner  as  all  cells,  including  the  cells  that  build  the 
human  being  and  plants.  In  what  manner  do  the  actions 
of  this  cell  differ  from  those  of  a  human  being  as  far  as 
showing  intelligence,  considering  simply  the  actions 
themselves,  and  not  the  size  of  the  actor?  In  what  man- 
ner do  his  actions  in  covering  himself  with  an  armor 
differ  from  the  same  actions  by  man?  In  what  manner 
do  his  actions  in  making  weapons  and  in  hunting  other 
animals  for  a  living  differ  from  those  same  actions  per- 
formed by  man? 


304     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

Consider  again  the  actions  while  mating  of  the  cell 
living  a  single  life,  and  those  of  the  germ  cells  pursuing 
the  female  cells.  Mr.  Binet  states  that  "the  movements 
they  execute  admit  of  exact  comparison  with  the  actions 
attendant  upon  copulation  among  higher  animals,"  and 
then  illustrates  their  maneuvering  in  the  following  lan- 
guage : 

"Upon  the  approach  of  the  period  for  propagation,  the 
paramecia  come  in  from  all  points  of  the  fluid  and  assem- 
ble like  little  whitish  clouds  in  more  or  less  numerous 
groups  about  the  objects  that  float  upon  the  surface  of 
the  water  or  adhere  to  the  sides  of  the  vessel,  containing 
the  tiny  artificial  sea  in  which  the  animalcula  are  held 
captive.  Intense  excitement,  which  the  need  of  food  does 
not  suffice  to  explain,  prevails  in  each  of  these  groups ;  a 
higher  instinct  appears  to  dominate  all  these  tiny  organ- 
isms. They  seek  each  other's  company,  chase  each  other 
about,  feel  here  and  there  with  their  cilia,  adhere  for  a 
moment  or  so  in  an  attitude  of  sexual  coition  and  then 
retire,  soon  to  begin  anew.  When  these  minute  assem- 
blages are  dispersed  by  shaking  the  liquid,  they  quickly 
form  again  at  other  points.  These  singular  antics  where- 
with animalcula  appear  to  incite  each  other  mutually  to 
copulation  often  continue  for  several  days  before  the 
latter  act  is  definitely  affected." 

All  these  actions  of  the  cells  that  we  have  now  been 
considering,  whether  single  cells  or  social  cells,  like  those 
who  build  animals  and  plants,  are  in  general  identical 
with  those  of  the  higher  animals,  including  man,  who  we 
all  agree  are  intelligent  beings. 

Before  closing  this  chapter  we  shall  examine  a  few 
cases  which  will  illustrate  more  fully  the  fact  that  like 
does  not  always  produce  like  as  is  generally  understood, 
but  that  the  cell  will  put  up  such  structures  as  will  be  re- 


CAUSE    OF   HEREDITY  305 

quired  and  necessary  under  the  particular  circumstances. 
Take  for  example  the  life  and  development  of  a  butterfly. 
The  egg  is  laid  in  the  fall  and  in  the  spring  this  egg,  a 
single  cell,  multiplies  and  with  the  material  furnished  by 
the  parents  and  at  hand,  such  as  the  leaves  of  plants  and 
trees,  builds  itself  into  a  structure  like  a  worm  and  moves 
about,  filling  this  structure  during  the  summer  with, more 
building  material  to  be  used  later  on;  this  worm  or  cater- 
pillar is  now  a  moving  structure  like  an  animal  or  automo- 
bile. The  next  thing  that  happens  is  that  towards  fall 
this  moving  structure  changes  into  a  chrysalis  which  is 
a  stationary  structure. 

What  is  the  purpose?  It  is  for  the  purpose  of  chang- 
ing later  on  into  a  flying  machine.  The  worm  or  cater- 
pillar takes  part  of  himself  and  with  this  material  builds 
a  house  or  covering  around  himself;  then  he  tears  him- 
self to  pieces  and  rebuilds  himself  into  an  aeroplane  and 
occupies  the  house  first  built  as  a  work  shop,  while  re- 
building himself  into  an  aeroplane  or  flying  machine. 
However,  we  must  remember  that  it  is  not  the.  worm  or 
caterpillar  that  does  these  things,  it  is  the  cells  of  which 
he  is  composed  and  which  put  him  together  in  the  first 
place.  They  take  the  first  structure,  the  worm,  apart, 
tear  it  down  as  man  would  a  house  and  with  the  same 
material  build  a  new  structure,  a  flying  machine — the 
butterfly.  Now  you  will  notice  that  in  this  case  as  in  a 
great  number  of  other  cases,  like  does  not  produce  like. 
The  worm  does  not  produce  a  worm  nor  does  the  butterfly 
produce  another  butterfly.  In  this  case,  the  worm  pro- 
duces a  butterfly  and  the  butterfly  produces  an  egg.  Their 
heirs  are  in  no  way  similar  to  themselves.  The  fact  is 
that  no  animal  or  plant  produces  anything,  it  is  the  cell 
that  produces.  In  the  same  manner  the  submarine  or 
house  does  not  produce  anything;  it  is  the  builders  of 


306     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

these  structures,  man,  that  produce  them.  In  the  case 
of  the  caterpillar  changing  into  a  butterfly,  the  caterpillar 
is  entirely  destroyed  as  an  individual,  but  the  builders 
and  material  are  still  there  and  they  take  the  same  mate- 
rial and  with  it  build  a  new  and  different  structure  calcu- 
lated to  move  through  the  air.  Mr.  Walker  states  that 
there  are  various  actions  caused  by  the  nourishment 
which  they  obtain.  The  following  are  his  ideas  about 
the  cause :  "Take  the  life  history  of  a  moth  or  butterfly, 
as  an  example.  A  caterpillar  hatches  out  of  the  egg  com- 
plete in  all  its  parts  and  capable  of  looking  after  itself. 
Directly  it  hatches  out  it  simply  grows  in  response  to 
the  stimulus  of  nourishment.  It  does  not  require  any 
knowledge  with  regard  to  the  kind  of  food  which  is  neces- 
sary for  its  well  being;  it  is  born  with  this  knowledge, 
When  the  next  stage  in  its  life-history  arrives,  it  spins 
itself  a  cocoon  and  that  without  ever  having  seen  a  co- 
coon. This  knowledge  and  skill  is  an  inborn  character 
and  the  caterpillar  is  prompted  to  spin  a  cocoon  at  the 
proper  time,  purely  by  instinct.  When  in  the  cocoon,  the 
caterpillar  is  metamorphosed  into  a  chrysalis  and  in  the 
chrysalis  all  the  parts  of  the  perfect  butterfly  or  moth 
are  developed  simply  by  growth.  When  the  butterfly  or 
moth  hatches  out  in  due  course,  all  its  muscles  and  organs 
are  developed  and  it  is  not  dependent  upon  the  stimulus 
of  use,  that  is  of  exercise  in  the  case  of  the  muscles,  for 
development."  He  states  that  it  simply  grows  in  re- 
sponse to  the  stimulus  of  nourishment  and  that  the  but- 
terfly or  moth  is  developed  simply  by  growth.  Mr. 
Walker  has  written  what  is  considered  to  be  a  good  up- 
to-date  work  on  the  cause  of  heredity,  but  I  do  not  agree 
with  him  in  the  matter.  He  does  not  consider  the  cell 
anything  but  a  chemical  force.  There  is  nothing  in  life 
that  "simply  grows."  Everything  is  put  together  for  a 


CAUSE   OF   HEREDITY  307 

purpose  and  it  is  put  together  by  someone.  It  does  not 
come  together  by  chance.  Mr.  Walker  calls  our  atten- 
tion to  a  peculiar  plant  and  worm  living  together  in  part- 
nership as  one  individual.  The  plant  lives  inside  of  the 
worm  and  inside  of  this  worm  the  plant  makes  food  and 
building  material  for  both.  He  states :  "A  still  more 
remarkable  case  is  afforded  by  a  low  form  of  worm  (con- 
voleta  roscoffensis)  which  lives  symbiotically  with  green 
algae.  The  algae  appears  to  form  a  special  assimilation 
tissue  within  the  worm  enabling  it  to  live  like  a  green 
plant.  The  worms  are  elongated  and  colored  green  and 
at  Roscoff  live  in  the  sandy  tide  pools  fully  exposed  to 
the  sun's  rays,  looking  like  a  mass  of  floating  weed  upon 
the  surface  of  the  water.  Now  the  stomach  and  indeed 
the  whole  of  the  alimentary  apparatus  has  disappeared 
in  the  worm  and  it  lives  exclusively  upon  carbohydrates 
formed  within  its  body  by  the  algae.  The  algae  has  un- 
dergone most  profound  changes.  It  has  lost  its  mem- 
brane, thus  allowing  its  secretions  and  excretions  to  pass 
freely  among  the  cells  of  the  worm  and  it  cannot  live 
independently.  If  the  worm  dies  the  algae  contained  in 
it  die.  All  the  allied  forms  of  this  worm  seek  the  dark 
and  live  concealed  under  stones  and  vegetation  and  they 
are  carnivorous.  Convoluta,  however,  being  dependent 
upon  the  well  being  of  the  algae  for  its  nourishment 
seeks  the  sunlight  and  the  surface  of  the  water.  The 
sunlight  is  necessary  to  the  growth  and  metabolism  in 
the  alga,  which  in  its  turn  supplies  food  to  the  worm, 
which  has  cea'sed  to  be  carnivorous.  The  two  forms  are 
thus  absolutely  dependent  upon  each  other  and  incapable 
of  living  apart." 

I  am  quite  certain  that  Mr.  Walker  and  others  who 
have  examined  this  creature  are  mistaken  in  reference 
to  the  facts.  I  think  it  will  be  found  upon  further  ex- 


308     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

amination,  that  this  cell  colony  is  made  by  the  same  fam- 
ily of  cells,  and  that  it  is  not  a  co-partnership  of  a  plant 
and  an  animal.  This  individual  moves  up  into  the  sun- 
light where  it  can  manufacture  starch,  etc.,  from  the  raw 
material  found  in  the  water  by  the  aid  of  the  sun's  heat 
or  rays.  It  is  necessary  to  get  into  the  sunlight  in  order 
to  be  able  to  make  starch  for  food  and  the  outside  trans- 
parent mobile  skin  like  a  worm's  is  simply  a  structure 
made  by  the  cells  for  the  specific  purpose  for  which  it  is 
used.  There  is  no  difference  in  the  general  appearance  of 
a  plant  or  animal  cell.  The  cell  can  make  either  plant 
or  animal  and  will  make  animal  parts  such  as  will  be 
necessary  for  its  use  in  its  struggle  for  existence.  They 
call  it  a  plant  cell  when  the  cell  knows  how  to  make  food 
and  other  building  material  from  the  raw  material  with 
the  aid  of  sunlight.  The  other  cells  are  supposed  to  live 
a  parasitic  life  and  to  depend  on  the  plant  cells  for  their 
food  and  building  material.  However,  the  distinction  is 
not  reliable  nor  of  any  consequence,  as  we  find  the  plant 
cells  also  are  at  times  carnivorous  and  live  on  insects  and 
>ther  similar  food,  as  for  instance  in  the  case  of  the 
pitcher  plant. 

Before  closing  this  chapter  I  wish  to  again  call  the 
reader's  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  old  idea  of  the  law 
of  heredity,  that  like  produces  like,  is  of  no  particular 
significance,  but  that  the  cell  will  produce  such  structures 
or  habitations  as  they  think  will  be  the  most  useful  and 
necessary  in  every  particular  case,  and  even  change  those 
already  produced,  if  they  think  best. 

Take  the  case  for  instance  of  the  bee.  Here  we  have 
males,  females  and  neutrals  or  workers.  The  female  lays 
the  eggs  that  produce  all  these  three  kinds  of  individuals. 
Mr.  Haeckel  states :  "In  the  bees  we  have  the  remark- 
able feature  that  it  is  only  decided  at  the  moment  of 


CAUSE   OF  HEREDITY  309 

laying  the  egg  whether  it  is  to  be  fertilized  or  not;  in 
the  one  event  a  female  and  in  the  other  a  male  bee  is 
formed  from  it." 

The  egg  is  a  cell  and  it  knows  how  to  build  any  one  of 
these  three  individual  structures.  The  workers  indicate 
what  is  wanted  and  when  the  cell  is  placed  in  the  comb  it 
is  told  by  the  cells  in  the  Queen  what  is  wanted.  The 
cells  of  the  female  bee  know  at  all  times  by  being  in  close 
touch  with  the  crowd  and  the  colony  just  what  is  most 
needed  in  the  community  and  every  cell  as  it  is  placed  in 
the  comb  will  know  what  it  has  to  do,  and  in  this  manner 
the  swarm  is  constantly  kept  in  proper  proportions.  There 
is  nothing  more  strange  in  this  case  than  in  the  case  of 
the  butterfly,  or  in  the  building  of  an  animal.  After  the 
stomach  of  the  animal  has  been  started  the  cells  first 
begin  to  gather  in  crowds  here  to  start  the  head  and  there 
to  start  the  limbs,  etc.,  and  unless  they  understood  each 
other  perfectly,  they  could  not  possibly  go  ahead  with 
their  work  in  perfect  harmony  and  understanding  and 
complete  a  plant  or  animal.  The  next  and  last  illustra- 
tion I  shall  give  in  this  chapter  on  heredity  is  that  of  the 
social  ants,  in  order  to  fully  illustrate  that  there  is  a  guid- 
ing mind  and  intellect  which  directs  the  course  of  devel- 
opment of  plants  and  animals.  In  many  of  these  classes 
of  social  ants  there  are  as  many  as  five  different  kinds 
of  individuals,  such  as  males,  females,  workers,  soldiers 
and  slaves ;  and  in  one  case,  some  of  the  insects  turn  into 
storage  tanks  in  which  the  honey  is  stored  and  as  such 
are  suspended  under  the  roof  of  their  dwellings.  Mr. 
Walker  has  the  following  to  say  in  reference  to  some  of 
these  social  ants : 

"In  some  ants  such  as  the  driver  ants  of  Africa  (Typh- 
lopone)  the  physical  differences  between  the  queens  and 
neuters  is  so  great  that  even  trained  entomologists  have 


310    CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

been  mislead  and  have  classed  them  as  entirely  different 
insects.  Thus  the  queen,  the  male  and  the  worker  of 
Typhlopone  are  now  known,  but  until  comparatively 
recently  the  queen  was  put  in  one  genus  (Dicthadia)  the 
male  in  another  (Dorylus)  and  the  worker  yet  in  another 
(Typhlopone)  and  this  mistake  was  made  by  skilled 
entomologists,  who  were  misled  by  the  enormous  differ- 
ence in  the  structure  of  the  three  kinds  of  individuals. 
The  male  has  well  developed  eyes  while  the  worker  has 
none. 

"The  polymorphism  among  social  ants  and  bees  has 
been  the  subject  of  much  argument  and  has  produced  a 
great  deal  of  speculation.  We  are  not  here  concerned 
with  such  questions  as  how  polymorphism  has  arisen. 
It  is  sufficient  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  the  potentiality 
of  producing  the  various  morphological  characters  pe- 
culiar to  the  different  forms  of  workers,  to  the  males  and 
to  the  queens,  must  be  present  in  the  eggs  of  the  queen, 
though  neither  she  herself  nor  any  direct  ancestor  has 
•possessed  those  that  appear  regularly  in  the  workers. 
Among  the  honey  ants  (myrmecocystus)  some  workers 
are  used  by  the  others  as  reservoirs  for  honey.  These  in- 
dividuals remain  in  the  nest  clinging  to  the  roughened 
ceilings  of  certain  galleries.  In  the  other  galleries  the 
ceilings  are  smooth.  They  remain  in  this  position  for 
the  rest  of  their  lives.  Beforehand  they  feed  on  honey 
for  some  time  and  when  they  have  eaten  as  much  as  they 
can,  take  up  their  positions  in  the  nest.  Here  the  other 
ants  feed  them  with  honey  until  they  are  distended  to 
many  times  their  normal  size.  Honey  is  not  procurable 
at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  and  the  stored  honey  is 
regurgitated  by  these  individuals  as  it  is  required  to  feed 
the  larvae  and  workers.  It  is  obvious  that  nothing  of 
this  kind  can  ever  happen  to  the  queen. 


CAUSE   OF  HEREDITY  311 

"Nor  are  our  instincts  the  only  characters  transmitted 
through  individuals  that  do  not  possess  them.  The  same 
thing  happens  with  regard  to  very  striking  physical  char- 
acters. The  soldier  ant  in  a  case  of  true  ants  is  an  exam- 
ple. The  soldier  ants  are  neuters  and  in  them  the  head  is 
greatly  enlarged  as  also  are  the  mandibles.  Various 
parts  of  the  body  coverings  are  modified  and  serve  the 
purpose  of  defense.  In  fact,  the  soldiers  of  the  colony 
are  so  different  from  their  parents,  the  males  and  queens, 
that  the  untrained  observer  would  class  them  as  belong- 
ing to  a  different  family." 

Now  it  is  in  this  case  perfectly  clear  that  like  does  not 
always  produce  like  and  that  the  males  and  females  pro- 
duce animals  that  are  not  only  unlike  themselves  in  size 
and  general  appearance  but  unlike  in  their  ways  and 
habits.  The  workers  and  soldiers  produce  no  offspring, 
so  their  characters  cannot  be  transmitted  to  posterity 
through  heredity  in  the  sense  in  which  it  is  generally  un- 
derstood and  which  with  the  evolutionist  is  the  cause  of 
species.  There  cannot  be  any  more  of  a  mystery  in  this 
case  than  in  the  case  of  the  development  of  a  plant  or 
animal  from  one  single  cell.  The  individual  that  is  hung 
up  under  the  ceiling  and  used  by  the  others  as  a  storage 
tank  for  honey  surely  cannot  transmit  any  of  his  form 
and  characters  to  his  heirs  or  posterity,  as  he  never  has 
any  nor  is  it  intended  that  he  should.  From  our  point 
of  view  it  would  seem  cruel  punishment  to  be  suspended 
under  the  ceiling  and  treated  in  this  manner,  but  when 
we  consider  it  rightly  from  the  standpoint  of  the  builder, 
the  cell, — and  that  someone  must  be  in  charge  of  the 
food,  we  can  see  that  the  individual  cells  which  together 
make  up  this  storage  tank  for  honey  are  alloted  just  as 
easy  work  as  any  of  the  others.  Someone  must  be  in 
charge  and  take  care  of  the  honey,  for  many  kinds  of  sin- 


312 


CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 


gle  cells  such  as  bacteria  or  fungi  would  eat  this  honey  ii 
permitted,  and  it  is  a  wise  thing  to  have  it  taken  care  of 
in  this  way.  It  is  no  punishment  to  the  colony  of  cells 
known  as  the  caterpillar,  to  reconstruct  themselves  into 
a  butterfly,  that  is,  from  an  ordinary  moving  structure  or 
habitation  to  a  flying  structure,  nor  will  it  be  any  pun- 
ishment to  this  colony  of  ant  building  cells  to  change 
their  moveable  habitation  into  a  stationary  structure 
where  they  can  live  in  comfort  and  eat  all  the  honey  they 
please. 


FIG.  44.  —  Ants.  A,  Male  of  Typhlopone,  formerly  classed  in  a  separate  genus 
(Dorylus).  B,  female,  formerly  classed  in  a  separate  genus  (Dicthadia).  C, 
Neuter  soldier  (worker).  D,  Neuter  minor  (worker).  [Actual  size.]  —  WALKER. 


In  this  case  of  the  social  ants,  it  is  clear  that  the  cells 
of  the  males  and  females  are  in  close  touch  with  the 
whole  social  community  of  ants,  and  as  each  egg  or  germ 
cell  is  laid  it  is  instructed  as  to  general  conditions  and 
as  to  what  is  wanted  or  needed  in  the  colony,  and  upon 
such  direction  the  germ  cells  act  and  produce  a  worker, 
soldier,  male  or  female,  according  to  the  order  from  the 
outside  through  the  parents.  That  the  cells  receive  and 


CAUSE   OF   HEREDITY  313 

act  upon  communication  from  the  outside  is  shown  in 
many  ways,  as  in  the  case  of  the  flat  fishes  where  a  pic- 
ture of  the  outside  color  and  formation  is  transmitted 
from  the  eye  to  the  skin  cells.  For  instance,  the  skin  cells 
of  the  fish  will  change  both  the  color  and  shape  of  the 
skin  to  simulate  the  shape  and  color  of  the  rocky  bottom 
of  the  sea  on  which  he  is  resting.  Just  as  in  the  case  of 
the  social  ants,  the  one  and  the  same  germ,  cell  of  the 
animal  can  build  different  kinds  and  different  shaped  or- 
gans, as  head,  tail,  stomach,  hair  and  limbs.  All  these 
five  structures  are  entirely  different  and  for  a  different 
purpose.  The  cells  must  be  told  in  some  way  what  to 
build  and  be  able  to  communicate  and  understand  each 
other  very  clearly  or  else  they  could  not  possibly  work 
in  harmony,  and  have  no  one  interfering  with  the  other, 
but  each  producing  just  what  is  required  and  nothing 
more. 

The  seventeen-year  locust  lives  in  the  earth  seventeen 
years  as  a  worm ;  then  he  tears  down  the  seventeen  year 
old  structure  and  with  the  same  material  he  builds  a 
flying  machine,  a  new  and  entirely  different  structure, 
which  is  known  as  the  cicada.  This  flying  machine  or 
cicada  is  produced  for  the  one  special  purpose  of  finding 
a  mate  and  thereby  perpetuating  his  kind.  This  flying 
machine  lives  but  a  month  or  two.  At  first  he  lived  the 
life  of  a  worm  and  was  a  worm  but,  as  a  worm,  he  had  no 
offspring  and  no  one  could  inherit  his  character.  But 
when  we  understand  life  correctly,  that  all  living  things 
that  we  see  are  structures  produced  by  an  intelligent 
being  for  his  special  purpose,  we  can  clearly  see  why 
like  does  not  always  produce  like  and  that  living  struc- 
tures are  produced  only  when  wanted  or  considered  neces- 
sary by  the  builders. 


CHAPTER  8. 

CAUSE  OF  INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND  REFLEX 
ACTION. 

Life  is  both  form  and  action,  but  the  more  important 
part  is  action.  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  anyone  who 
has  understood  the  cause  of  instinctive,  emotional  and 
reflex  action.  The  reason  for  this  it  seems  to  me,  is  be- 
cause no  one  has  ever  been  able  to  comprehend  and  look 
upon  the  cell  as  an  intelligent  being.  The  old  phrase- 
ology and  idea  that  only  man  can  reason  and  that  all  ani- 
mals act  from  instinct  is  to  blame  for  it.  One  side  claims 
that  the  intelligence  back  of  instinctive  acts  of  animals 
is  God  or  nature  and  the  other  side  does  not  claim  to 
know.  Take  for  instance,  the  instinctive  actions  of  the 
young  pig.  The  instant  he  is  born  he  is  able  to  go  to  work 
and  obtain  nourishment  from  the  mother.  Without  hav- 
ing had  any  previous  experience  or  training  he  knows 
how  to  do  those  complicated  acts  as  if  he  had  been  prac- 
tising for  years.  These  actions  are  called  instinctive. 
They  are  intelligent  acts  but  still  according  to  the  old 
ideas  we  cannot  consider  any  actions  intelligent  unless 
performed  by  man  based  upon  previous  experience  and 
training.  There  are  a  great  number  of  actions  performed 
by  animals  and  plants  and  man  that  are  performed  with- 
out any  previous  experience  and  are  called  instinctive. 
The  instinctive  actions  are  similar  to  those  performed 


INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND  REFLEX  ACTION  315 

without  our  consciousness  such  as  we  call  habitual,  reflex 
and  automatic.  Now  it  is  clear  that  these  actions  are  all 
directed  by  someone.  Who  is  this  someone?  In  the  sub- 
marine or  battleship  it  is  man,  the  builder  of  these  struc- 
tures, who  directs  their  movements ;  so  it  is  with  organic 
individuals  we  call  plants  or  animals,  it  is  the  cell,  their 
builder,  who  directs  their  movements. 

It  would  be  just  as  consistent  to  say  when  looking  at 
a  battleship  or  submarine  from  a  distance,  not  being  able 
to  see  the  man  in  charge,  that  the  battleship  or  submarine 
had  an  instinct  to  shoot  and  hit  a  target  at  a  distance, 
without  having  had  any  previous  training.  The  swallow 
can  fly  the  first  time  it  makes  the  attempt.  It  makes  no 
attempt  until  it  is  fully  developed  and  ready.  So  with 
the  aeroplane,  which  can  fly  the  first  time  it  makes  the 
attempt  because  as  is  evident  and  natural,  those  who 
know  how  to  build  the  machine  also  know  how  to  oper- 
ate it.  Following  are  extracts  from  Hallock's  Psychol- 
ogy, defining  the  different  kinds  of  actions : 

First — "Unconscious,  reflex  action — such  as  the  uncon- 
scious movement  of  the  sleeper's  hand  when  touched. 

Second — "Conscious,  reflex  action — such  as  winking 
the  eye,  due  to  sensitiveness  to  light.  This  is  illustrated 
by  a  sensation  which  reaches  the  brain  and  hurriedly 
passes  out  in  motor  action. 

Third — "Impulsive  action — Here  a  hazy  idea  of  a  pur- 
pose toward  which  the  action  tends  makes  its  appearance. 

Fourth — "Instinctive  action — This  cannot  always  be 
separated  from  impulsive  action. 

Fifth— "Deliberate  action.— Here  a  deliberate  Will 
chooses  between  alternative  courses  of  action.  Shall  I 
spend  this  money  for  books  or  several  other  things? 

"It  is  sometimes  hard  to  believe  that  reflex  actions  are 
not  consciously  willed.  We  have  seen  that  a  decapitated 


316     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

frog  raises  its  hind  foot  to  brush  away  a  needle  or  a  drop 
of  acid  on  its  side ;  if  the  leg  on  that  side  were  amputated, 
the  other  leg  would  display  purposive  endeavor  to  remove 
the  object. 

"It  is  difficult  to  appreciate  properly  the  complexity  of 
reflex  action.  Many  movements  which  seem  to  exhibit 
all  the  purposive  guidance  of  the  deliberate  will  are  noth- 
ing but  reflex  actions,  which  were  at  first  consciously 
willed  and  often  sink  to  the  level  of  reflexes,  such  as 
walking,  writing,  balancing  and  many  other  muscular 
movements. 

"Laws  of  Central  Nervous  Action — Whenever  a  sens- 
ory stimulus  is  transmitted  to  a  central  nerve  cell,  the 
force  is  never  lost  but  intends  to  flow  out  again  in  motor 
action.  By  central  nerve  cells  we  here  mean  ganglia  in 
either  the  brain  or  the  spinal  cord.  Whenever  a  sensory 
stimulus  pours  into  nerve  cells,  there  will  be  a  tendency 
for  it  to  pass  out  in  motor  action,  which  causes  muscular 
movement.  This  law  holds  equally  good  for  conscious 
or  unconscious  stimuli. 

"No  reflex  action  shows  the  presence  of  will  in  its 
higher  deliberative  form,  although  purposive  reflexes  may 
indicate  a  time  when  they  were  the  slowly  formed  prod- 
ucts of  all  the  individuals,  intelligence  and  will  power. 

"Instinctive  action — Whenever  a  conscious  sensation, 
due  either  to  external  or  internal  stimuli  results  in  pur- 
posive action  toward  a  given  end,  (which  is  not  forseen) 
that  action  is  instinctive. 

"A  young  stork  left  alone  in  a  northern  latitude  would 
emigrate  southward  on  approach  of  winter;  had  the  bird 
never  been  south  before,  it  could  have  no  idea  of  the  pur- 
pose of  its  flight  although  its  actions  were  directed 
toward  an  intelligent  end.  Certain  sensations  of  organic 
origin  prompt  the  young  bird  to  build  its  first  nest.  This 


INSTINCTIVE,   EMOTIONAL  AND   REFLEX  ACTION  317 

bird  has  never  been  taught  nor  has  it  had  any  experience 
of  nest  building,  yet  the  first  nest  is  constructed  on  the 
same  plan  and  fashioned  as  well  as  any  of  its  successors, 
all  the  actions,  gathering  of  straw,  grass  and  twigs,  are 
a  series  of  complex  movements  blindly  directed  toward 
an  intelligent  end. 

"Instinctive  compared  with  reflex  actions — Instinct  has 
much  in  common  with  reflex  actions.  Whenever  certain 
stimuli  are  present,  definite,  unvarying  actions  tend  to 
result  in  both  cases.  We  saw  that  a  sensory  stimulus  on 
the  side  of  a  decapitated  frog  was  followed  by  a  definite 
action  suited  to  remove  the  cause.  When  the  caterpillar 
feels  certain  stimuli,  it  mechanically  begins  to  weave  a 
shroud  in  a  blind  reflex  way  and  the  action  is  automatic 
as  long  as  the  stimulus  is  operative. 

"A  reflex  movement  is  simpler  and  does  not  involve  the 
whole  body  in  action.  A  limb  may  be  moved ;  an  eye 
winked ;  one  muscle  contracted.  When  a  bird  builds  a 
nest,  the  instinctive  tendency  results  in  movement  of 
wings  spread  in  flight,  ocular  search  for  materials,  alight- 
ing and  seizing  them  with  either  bill  or  claw,  carrying 
them  to  proper  place  and  fixing  them  in  position.  Here 
the  instinctive  movements  constantly  change  and  the  one 
is  not  a  mere  repetition  of  the  other. 

"An  ant  will  hoard  grain  for  the  winter  and  the  cater- 
pillar provide  for  a  butterfly  existence. 

"Bees  construct  larger  cells  for  young  Queen  bees  and 
feed  the  Royal  Larvae  with  more  and  richer  food,  al- 
though there  is  originally  no  difference  between  them 
and  the  Larvae  of  Workers.  Similar  reflex  tendencies 
would  result  in  making  all  cells  the  same  to  start  with 
and  feeding  all  the  young  the  same  way.  Hence,  some 
call  all  instincts  examples  of  'lapsed  intelligence,'  that  is 
the  actions  were  at  first  the  result  of  a  highly  voluntary 


318     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

process,  but  from  a  continued  repetition  they  became  un- 
consciously habitual. 

"In  the  South  Sea  Islands,  a  species  of  bird  accustomed 
to  build  nests  on  the  ground  placed  them  in  trees  after 
cats  were  introduced. 

"Instinct  urges  the  bee  to  labor  hard  to  gather  hone), 
against  the  time  when  the  flowers  will  be  gone. 

"After  instinctive  action  has  been  once  performed  a 
certain  amount  of  foresight  of  the  end  must  remain  in 
memory. 

"The  hen  that  has  once  kept  eggs  warm  until  they  art 
hatched  must  have  a  certain  idea  of  the  results  of  the  ac- 
tion when  she  again  sets.  By  the  law  of  contiguity  the 
association  would  run  straight  ahead  to  the  chickens,  but 
this  cannot  be  said  of  the  first  performance  of  any  in- 
stinctive action,  nor  can  it  ever  be  maintained  in  such 
cases  as  when  the  animal  dies  or  changes  its  form  after 
an  instinctive  act. 

"The  silk  worm  never  has  an  idea  of  the  end  in  weaving 
its  shroud." 

The  reader  will  notice  that  all  these  actions  described 
by  different  animals  will  seem  very  mysterious  and  in- 
consistent if  you  do  not  stop  to  consider  the  situation 
correctly.  You  will  admit  that  all  the  actions  of  these  in- 
sects and  animals  seem  intelligent  but  yet  you  cannot  see 
how  they  can  be,  as  the  animals  have  had  no  experience, 
training  or  instructions  in  the  matter.  These  actions  have 
been  called  "Lapsed  intelligence"  meaning  that  they  musi 
have  been  intelligent  at  some  past  time,  but  when  you 
stop  to  think  of  it  how  could  they  ever  have  been  more 
intelligent  at  any  other  time?  Did  the  hen  at  one  time  in 
the  past  possess  the  intelligence  of  man,  God  or  the  Cre- 
ator? 

When  we  talk  about  the  peculiar  actions  of  plants  and 


INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND   REFLEX  ACTION  319 

animals  without  taking  into  consideration  the  individuals 
that  build  and  maintain  them,  we  get  all  mixed  up,  and 
our  statements  become  a  jumble  of  meaningless  words 
and  mysteries.  These  actions — reflex,  automatic,  impul- 
sive, emotional  or  instinctive,  are  all  intelligent  acts. 

What  we  call  a  reflex  act,  like  winking  the  eye,  requires 
just  as  much  intelligence  as  any  other  act.  However,  the 
intelligence  is  located  in  a  bunch  of  cells  in  the  brain  that 
have  that  particular  business  in  charge,  and  the  other 
brain  cells  such  as  are  in  charge  of  receiving  sensation? 
from  the  outside  world  through  sense  organs,  like  the 
eye,  ear,  etc.,  do  hot  have  to  be  bothered  with  such  de- 
tails. Those  cells  that  are  in  charge  of  receiving  informa- 
tion from  the  outside  world  are  what  we  call  our  con- 
sciousness. You  can  clearly  see  that  it  requires  conscious 
intelligence,  to  be  continually  on  the  watch  out  for  dan- 
gerous materials  and  to  keep  them  from  getting  into  the 
eye.  The  eye  requires  constant  and  careful  attention  and 
the  wonderful  manner  in  which  it  is  taken  care  of  by  the 
cells  in  charge  amidst  the  many  dangers  in  life,  shows 
loyalty  and  intelligence.  The  cells  in  charge  of  receiving 
information  from  the  outside  world  must  attend  to  this 
business  of  receiving,  and  they  cannot  be  bothered  with 
details  like  balancing,  walking  and  other  muscular  de- 
tails. These  actions  are  for  that  reason  delegated  to 
other  cells  which  we  call  nerve  centers.  These  actions, 
when  performed  by  us  without  any  knowledge  or  con- 
sciousness, we  call  reflex,  habitual,  or  automatic.  These 
are  simply  names  for  something  that  so  far  has  not  been 
understood.  Writers  on  psychology  have  not  been  able 
to  comprehend  that  just  as  much  conscious  intelligence 
is  required  in  one  place  as  in  another;  that  the  cells  in 
charge  of  one  line  of  work  are  just  as  smart  as  the  cells 
in  charge  of  work  in  another  place.  The  cells  in  the  spine 


320     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

that  look  after  the  balancing  and  the  action  of  the  heart, 
must  be  just  as  intelligent  as  the  cells  which  are  located 
in  the  head  and  direct  the  actions  of  your  arm  or  hand 
when  you  are  learning  how  to  perform  some  particular 
action  like  writing  or  balancing. 

Instinctive  actions  in  animals  are  of  course  the  same  as 
those  in  man.  We  are  perfectly  conscious  of  the  act  and 
still  we  feel  as  though  something  gets  possession  of  us, 
as  for  instance  when  the  mating  instinct  takes  possession 
of  us.  We  are  then  in  love  as  we  call  it.  The  act  of  per- 
petuating the  race  is  the  most  important  thing  of  man's 
life  and  it  also  requires  the  combined  acts  of  the  whole 
individual.  For  these  reasons  the  cells  see  fit  to  give  both 
mental  and  bodily  control  to  the  nerve  center  or  cells  who 
have  that  matter  in  charge.  No  individual  will  act  except 
in  accordance  with  his  thoughts,  so  it  is  clear  that  in  all 
instinctive  actions  in  man  and  animals,  insects  or  plants, 
the  actions  are  the  will  of  the  party  who  performs  them. 

The  following  by  Mr.  Hallock  shows  some  instances  of 
animal  intelligence :  "A  man  allowed  a  sow  pig  about  a 
year  old  to  run  in  his  orchard.  He  watched  her  go  to  a 
young  apple  tree,  shake  the  tree  and  eat  the  apples  which 
fell.  Having  finished  these,  she  again  shook  the  tree, 
pricked  up  her  ears  and  listened  for  more  to  fall,  but  as 
none  fell  she  went  away. 

"Another  sow,  with  a  litter  of  pigs,  was  accustomed  to 
spending  the  day  in  a  forest,  returning  home  at  night  to 
be  fed.  When  her  pigs  were  of  sufficient  age,  three  were 
taken  to  be  roasted,  at  different  times,  being  caught  when 
she  returned  home  with  them.  After  the  third  had  been 
taken,  she  came  without  the  pigs.  The  next  evening  a 
watch  was  set  to  find  out  what  had  become  of  them,  but 
she  would  not  allow  them  to  follow  her  farther  than  the 
edge  of  the  forest  and  drove  them  back  repeatedly;  she 


INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND  REFLEX  ACTION  32J 

then  went  to  the  house  to  get  her  own  supper  and  re- 
turned to  them.  She  had  evidently  discovered  their  dis- 
appearance on  going  to  the  house,  and  took  this  course 
to  save  them. 

"A  man  once  desired  to  test  his  dog,  which  was  lying 
down  quietly  sleeping.  In  the  midst  of  a  general  conver- 
sation, he  inserted  the  words,  'The  cow  is  in  the  potatoes.' 
The  dog  jumped  up  at  once,  dashed  out  to  the  garden  and 
appeared  surprised  at  not  finding  the  cow  there. 

"Another  dog  had  for  some  time  chased  a  rabbit,  which 
ran  in  a  circular  course  to  a  burrow  and  escaped  the  dog. 
Finally  the  dog,  on  starting  another  rabbit,  ran  indirectly 
across  the  circle  to  the  mouth  of  the  burrow  and  awaited 
the  rabbit  there. 

"It  is  well  known  that  some  ants  keep  a  certain  species 
of  insects  called  aphides.  These  stand  in  precisely  the 
same  relation  to  ants  that  cows  do  to  human  beings.  The 
aphides  are  regularly  milked  by  the  ants  and  a  sweet  nu- 
tritious liquid  somewhat  resembling  honey  is  thus  se- 
cured. The  ants  sometimes  build  stables  for  their  cows, 
allowing  them  to  pasture  on  certain  plants  in  such  a  way 
that  the  cows  cannot  escape.  Naturalists  have  repeatedly 
seen  ants  milk  their  cows. 

"Three  species  of  ants  keep  other  ants  as  slaves.  The 
slaves  tend  the  aphides,  milk  them,  and  often  climb  trees 
and  plants  in  order  to  find  male  aphides  to  increase  the 
dairy.  The  slaves  even  put  the  food  into  the  mouths  of 
their  masters.  Bugs  are  also  enslaved  by  ants  and  made 
to  carry  heavy  burdens. 

"Ants  have  been  seen  to  make  a  bridge  across  a  small 
vessel  of  water,  using  pieces  of  wood  and  straw.  The 
ants  might  have  brought  earth  for  this  bridge,  but  they 
illustrated  the  choice  of  means  to  ends,  and  used  instead 
pieces  of  wood  and  straw. 


322     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

"Ants  have  cemeteries  and  funeral  processions.  Two 
ants  bear  the  corpse  at  the  head  of  the  procession,  which 
is  followed  two  by  two.  When  the  first  two  are  tired  the 
next  two  take  up  the  body  and  on  arriving  at  the  burial 
ground,  they  dig  a  grave  and  inter  the  body.  A  lady, 
wishing  to  see  a  funeral  procession,  killed  a  number  of 
soldier  ants.  She  watched  the  procession  as  above  de- 
scribed. On  reaching  the  cemetery,  six  or  seven  of  the 
ants  refused  to  help  dig  the  graves.  These  ants  were 
caught,  brought  back  and  killed  at  once,  like  deserters 
from  an  army.  A  trench  was  then  dug,  in  which  they 
were  all  buried  together.  It  was  observed  that  ants 
would  not  bury  their  slaves  in  the  cemetery  used  for  the 
masters.  Darwin  called  the  brain  of  an  ant  one  of  the 
most  marvelous  atoms  of  matter  in  the  world." 

The  dog  that  ran  to  the  potato  patch  knew  from  asso- 
ciation with  the  expression  "cow"  and  "potato  patch" 
what  was  needed  or  wanted,  he  remembered  it.  From 
the  dog's  recollection  of  his  experience  with  the  rabbit, 
he  decided  that  it  was  useless  to  try  to  catch  him  as  he 
would  beat  him  to  the  hole,  so  he  decided  to  try  this  new 
experiment  and  take  the  rabbit  by  surprise. 

In  hunting  jack-rabbits,  every  one  knows  the  trick  of 
the  jack,  to  always  turn  square  to  one  side  as  soon  as  he 
goes  over  a  hill  and  out  of  sight.  This  trick  will  always 
fool  both  man  and  dog. 

The  pig  could  observe  and  remember  that  when  he 
shook  the  tree  an  apple  would  fall.  His  actions  were 
based  on  previous  experience  fixed  in  his  memory.  The 
pig  reasoned  from  experience  just  as  man  would.  The 
animals,  like  man,  are  able  to  reason  and  learn  from  ex- 
perience. In  their  place  in  life  they  are  just  as  intelligent 
as  the  German  Emperor  or  the  Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States. 


INSTINCTIVE,   EMOTIONAL  AND   REFLEX  ACTION  323 

In  order  to  give  the  reader  a  more  comprehensive  view 
of  the  perfect,  intelligent  organization  of  the  individual 
cells  that  build  and  direct  the  actions  of  the  animal  and 
man,  I  will  give  Mr.  Hallock's  description  of  the  brain 
and  nerves  of  the  body.  He  says : 

"Suppose  that  a  child  of  intelligent  parents  was  ushered 
into  the  world  with  perfect  brain,  with  no  optic  nerve  to 
transmit  the  glorious  sensations  of  the  eye,  no  auditory 
nerve  to  conduct  the  vibrations  of  the  mother's  voice,  no 
tactile  nerves  to  convey  the  touch  of  the  hand.  Could 
such  a  child  live?  No  matter  how  perfect  might  be  the 
child's  brain  and  body,  his  faculties  would  remain 
shrouded  in  darkness.  Perception  could  give  memory 
nothing  to  retain  and  thought  could  not  weave  her  fabrics 
without  materials. 

"It  is  the  business  of  the  nervous  system  to  transmit 
the  effects  resulting  from  internal  or  external  stimuli. 
This  function  of  reporting  stimuli  may  be  compared  with 
the  machinery  of  an  associated  press  agency,  which  gath- 
ers news  from  the  world.  The  manager  may  be  sitting 
in  his  office  in  New  York  or  London  and  he  cannot  see 
what  is  taking  place  in  the  rest  of  the  world,  but  there  is  a 
click  of  the  telegraph  instrument,  and  he  learns  that  an 
ocean  steamer  has  been  wrecked  on  the  Irish  Coast.  An- 
other instrument  vibrates  with  a  message  that  a  certain 
city  cannot  be  heard  from.  The  manager  himself  sends 
a  dispatch  for  news  and  he  now  illustrates  the  second 
capacity  of  the  nervous  system,  that  of  transmitting  com- 
mands by  its  own  peculiar  automatic  power;  but  he  tele- 
graphs in  vain,  for  the  wires  leading  to  the  city  are 
broken. 

"These  telegraph  wires  are  analogous  to  the  nerves  of 
the  ear,  eye  and  other  senses.  It  is  the  business  of  these 


324    CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

nerve  cells  to  report  what  is  taking  place  in  their  own 
special  world. 

"The  brain  cell  in  its  dark  chamber  can  receive  dis- 
patches from  them  alone.  If  a  man  loses  his  sight,  the 
optic  nerve  brings  in  no  further  news  and  the  case  is 
similar  to  that  of  the  distant  city  whose  telegraphic  com- 
munications have  been  broken  by  an  earthquake  or  other- 
wise. 

"The  nerve  cells  traverse  every  region  of  the  body,  just 
as  telegraph  wires  thread  a  continent.  Without  some 
such  method  of  transmission,  the  sensations  of  sight, 
hearing,  touch  and  other  special  senses  could  as  we  have 
seen  never  reach  the  brain,  neither  could  commands,  such 
as  to  move  the  muscles,  be  sent  out  from  it. 

"There  are  nerves  which  regulate  the  size  of  the  blood 
vessels  and  the  nourishment  of  the  body,  control  the 
secretions  and  perform  various  other  offices  connected 
with  transmitting  stimuli,  which  are  neither  sensory  or 
motor. 

"A  ganglion  is  an  aggregation  or  group  of  nerve  cells. 
Each  ganglion  is  in  some  respect  a  little  brain.  The 
spinal  ganglia  receives  a  sensory  impulse  and  sends  out 
a  motor  dispatch  without  calling  on  the  brain.  The  spinal 
cord  is  largely  made  up  of  nervous  ganglia,  sometimes 
called  the  little  brain. 

"If  one  were  to  prick  the  toe  of  a  sleeper,  the  sensory 
nerve  at  that  point  would  report  the  fact  to  one  of  the 
lower  masses  of  nerve  cells  or  ganglia,  without  waiting 
to  hear  from  the  brain  ;  it  would  issue  a  command  to  the 
motor  nerve  cells  and  the  foot  would  be  immediately 
withdrawn.  Unless  the  thrust  was  severe,  the  sleeper 
would  not  awaken,  nor  would  he  be  conscious  of  pain  or 
the  movements  of  the  foot. 

"Thus  the  cells  of  the  brain  are  not  only  saved  the 


INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND   REFLEX  ACTION  32$ 

trouble  of  attending  to  every  little  movement,  but  much 
time  is  gained. 

"After  the  child  has  learned  the  difficult  art  of  balanc- 
ing himself  on  his  feet,  walking  is  largely  attended  to  by 
other  nerve  cells  than  the  brain. 

"If  acid  is  placed  on  the  side  of  a  decapitated  frog  the 
animal  will  bring  its  foot  to  the  spot  and  try  to  brush 
the  drop  away.  Man  also  has  this  power  after  death. 

"The  pectoral  muscle  of  a  beheaded  French  criminal 
was  pinched  and  the  right  hand  was  raised  to  the  spot, 
as  if  to  remove  the  cause  of  the  injury. 

"The  medulla  oblongata  at  the  upper  end  of  the  spinal 
cord  has  more  or  less  control  of  the  sympathetic  nervous 
system,  which  regulates  the  heart,  lungs,  blood  vessels 
and  various  abdominal  organs.  If  the  muscular  action  of 
the  heart  were  under  direct  mental  supervision,  a  person 
might  become  so  interested  in  something  or  so  excited  by 
an  accident  or  unusual  event  that  he  would  forget,  until 
it  was  too  late,  to  move  the  muscles  of  the  heart.  The 
same  would  also  be  true  in  respiration.  The  medulla  has 
power  to  attend  to  these,  without  calling  on  the  brain 
and  obtruding  the  unnecessary  details  on  consciousness. 

"The  brain,  like  a  large  city,  has  much  of  its  complex 
business  systematized  and  localized.  The  senses  report 
to  certain  parts  of  the  brain,  while  other  well  denned 
parts  send  out  a  motor  order  to  raise  a  hand  or  speak  a 
word. 

The  motor  zone,  or  that  part  of  the  brain  concerned  in 
sending  out  orders  to  move  the  body,  lies  on  either  side 
of  the  fissure  of  Rolando.  So  definitely  has  this  area 
been  mapped  out  that  it  is  possible  to  find  for  the  purpose 
of  a  surgical  operation  so  small  a  center  as  that  which 
moves  a  vocal  cord,  directs  a  thumb  or  winks  an  eye, 

"Sensory  brain  tracts  are  those  concerned  in  receiving 


326     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

impressions  from  the  senses.  The  center  of  sight  is  in 
the  occipital  part  of  the  brain,  that  for  hearing  in  the 
rear,  two-thirds  of  the  first  and  second  temporal  convolu- 
tions. 

"The  Senses : — If  currents  from  the  various  sensory 
nerves  did  not  flow  into  the  brain,  we  should  get  no 
knowledge  of  the  outside  world.  The  brain  gets  de- 
spatches from  the  optic,  olfactory,  tactile,  gustatory  and 
other  nerves.  These  despatches  are  the  data  from  which 
we  get  our  knowledge  of  the  world." 

Now  just  consider  for  a  moment  what  this  means! 
What  conscious  intelligence  and  foresight  is  required  to 
be  able  to  effect  a  social  organization  like  this !  Man  has 
been  able  to  effect  a  similar  civilization  only  in  the  last 
few  centuries.  The  cell  has  understood  the  power  of 
organization  for  a  million  years  before  it  was  conceived 
by  the  mind  of  man ;  still  man  as  an  individual  pretends 
to  be  more  intelligent  than  the  cell,  his  maker, — like  a 
submarine  trying  to  be  more  intelligent  than  the  man 
who  put  it  together  and  directs  its  actions,  or  like  a  house 
knowing  more  than  the  architect  that  put  it  up. 

Th.  Ribot  states  that  instinct  and  intelligence  are  one 
and  the  same  thing  except  that  "Instinct  is  unconscious 
intelligence,"  but  Mr.  Ribot  does  not  understand  what 
this  unconscious  intelligence  can  be.  There  are  several 
books  written  about  the  unconscious  intelligence  and  no 
one  seems  to  know  what  nor  where  it  is.  It  is  perfectly 
plain  that  the  acts  we  call  instinctive  and  reflex  are  those 
performed  and  directed  by  those  nerve  cells  of  the  body 
whose  specific  function  it  is  to  direct  and  perform  those 
acts.  A  child  can  suck  and  make  noises ;  he  has  had  no 
previous  experience  or  training  in  this  matter,  but  he 
knows  how.  His  mouth  and  throat  were  made  for  these 
specific  functions.  The  makers  are  in  charge,  directing 


INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND   REFLEX  ACTION  327 

the  different  complicated  movements  of  these  structures 
and  they  know  how  to  direct  the  work  for  which  they 
were  made.  They  know  how  to  adjust  the  tension  of 
vocal  cords  so  as  to  make  a  noise  when  the  air  is  applied. 

A  kitten  that  has  never  had  his  eyes  open,  or  ever  had 
any  experience  with  a  dog  or  a  man,  will  show  all  the 
symptoms  of  terror  and  fright  if  placed  near  a  dog.  How 
does  he  know  that  dogs  are  dangerous,  not  having  had 
any  experience  with  them? 

We  say  that  instinct  tells  him.  That  is  not  true.  In- 
stinct is  but  a  word  expressing  certain  kinds  of  actions. 
Some  one  must  tell  the  kitten  and  direct  the  kitten  in  its 
actions.  Who  is  this  some  one?  It  is  the  builder  of  the 
kitten. 

If  the  English  ship  should  meet  a  German  submarine 
in  its  first  trip  out  at  sea,  it  would  act  just  like  the  kitten ; 
although  the  ship  had  never  met  a  German  submarine  be- 
fore, it  knew  what  to  do  because  it  had  a  crew  in  charge 
directing  its  actions  who  well  knew  that  it  was  a  dan- 
gerous enemy  to  the  English  ship. 

When  you  consider  who  is  in  charge  and  directs  the 
actions  of  the  kitten,  they  are  no  more  of  a  mystery  than 
are  the  actions  of  the  English  ship,  showing  signs  of 
fright  upon  the  approach  of  the  German  submarine.  Ex- 
periences of  the  past  thousand  years  with  the  dog  has 
taught  the  cells  that  he  is  a  dangerous  enemy. 

We  gave  a  name  to  this  unknown  cause  and  called  it 
instinct,  nature,  providence  or  destiny  but  we  know  the 
cause  of  these  instinctive,  emotional  and  reflex  actions, 
and  all  these  actions  go  to  prove  that  the  cell  is  an  intelli- 
gent being. 

A  text  book  on  physiology  describes  the  body  in  the 
following  language :  "The  human  body  viewed  from  a 


328     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

mechanical  aspect  is  the  most  perfect  piece  of  work  that 
it  is  possible  to  imagine. 

"Most  of  us  are  willing  to  accept  the  facts  that  we  can 
see,  hear,  taste,  obey  the  impulses  of  our  wills  and  think 
on  what  has  past  and  what  is  to  come  without  ever  giving 
a  thought  as  to  how  it  happens  that  our  bodies  are  so 
equipped  as  to  enable  us  to  do  these  things. 

'"The  great  foresight  and  preparedness  of  the  German 
Empire  has  been  the  marvel  of  the  age,  but  it  sinks  into 
nothingness  when  compared  with  the  extraordinary 
equipment  that  the  human  body  is  possessed  with." 

The  mind  cells  of  man  occupied  with  other  matters 
have  not  time  to  comprehend  all  the  details  that  are  taken 
care  of  in  the  human  body.  The  details  are  as  vast  and 
numerous  as  those  of  the  largest  city  or  empire,  and  are 
based  upon  the  experience  and  intelligence  of  the  ages 
while  man  has  only  begun  to  co-operate  and  organize  in 
a  social  way.  The  reason  we  have  never  really  under- 
stood causes  in  nature  is  our  inability  to  overcome  our 
old  prejudiced  idea,  dished  up  to  us  in  all  our  school 
books,  that  only  man  is  intelligent.  Think  of  all  the 
complicated  actions  and  movements  of  a  chick !  He  is 
provided  with  an  instrument  with  which  to  break  his 
shell,  and  at  once  he  is  able  to  run  about  and  pick  up 
grains  of  sand,  like  his  mother.  Think  how  many  extra- 
ordinarily difficult  and  complicated  movements  he  is  able 
to  perform  the  first  time  without  the  slightest  previous 
experience !  He  is  not  only  endowed  with  an  inborn  dex- 
terity in  motion,  but  has  also  a  powerful  perceptive  fac- 
ulty. Without  hesitation  he  picks  up  a  kernel  of  grain. 
To  do  this  he  must  be  able  to  see  and  judge  correctly  and 
move  his  head  and  limbs  with  great  precision.  He  could 
learn  nothing  in  the  shell. 

We  must  remember,  however,  that  but  a  month  ago 


INSTINCTIVE,   EMOTIONAL  AND   REFLEX  ACTION  329 

the  builders  of  this  chick  had  taken  part  in  the  actions 
and  were  a  part  of  the  parents  from  which  he  came.  Not 
only  did  this  germ  cell  remember  how  to  build  the  struc- 
ture from  which  it  came,  but  also  how  to  maintain  and 
operate  it.  The  actions  of  the  chick  are  called  instinctive, 
but  they  are  in  fact  no  different  from  any  other  intelligent 
acts.  The  building,  maintaining  and  directing  of  this 
structure  we  call  a  chick  has  been  performed  by  this 
particular  kind  of  cell  'for  ages.  His  knowledge  and  ex- 
perience is  limited  to  this  kind  of  structure. 

The  bee  constructs  a  cell,  the  birds  build  a  nest,  the 
worm  changes  to  a  butterfly.  These  are  all  acts  that  the 
bird,  bee  or  caterpillar  have  not  had  the  slightest  expe- 
rience in  or  information  of  from  the  outside  world. 

In  the  case  of  the  caterpillar  and  the  butterfly,  there  is 
no  chance  to  say  that  the  caterpillar  builds  anything,  be- 
cause he  is  destroyed,  gradually  torn  down,  and  rebuilt 
into  a  butterfly,  a  new  and  different  structure.  The  cells 
or  occupants  of  this  caterpillar  are  all  there,  and  so  is  the 
building  material,  and  they  change  it  into  a  flying  ma- 
chine. 

The  worm  or  caterpillar  is  in  the  hands  of  a  power  that 
can  change  him  into  a  new  and  different  individual. 
Think  of  the  extent  and  magnitude  of  the  operations  per- 
formed in  this  task  of  tearing  down  the  worm  and  re- 
building him  into  a  butterfly.  It  must  be  admitted  that 
it  can  not  be  done  without  a  perfect  system  and  plan, 
skillfully  pursued  and  executed. 

The  cause  of  instinctive  actions  has  seemed  so  myster- 
ious to  people  in  general,  that  preachers  have  used  it  in 
their  sermons  to  prove  the  existence  of  a  God,  claiming 
that  God  is  the  instigator  of  all  instinctive  actions.  I 
read  the  following  Sunday  Sermon  from  a  Daily  Paper : 
"It  is  not  intelligence  in  the  animal,  nor  of  it.  Back  of 


330     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

instinct  is  law  and  back  of  law  is  the  lawgiver.  And  who 
is  that  lawgiver  but  God?  The  intelligence  of  instinct  is 
the  intelligence  of  God.  The  laws  of  nature  are  the 
thoughts  of  God ;  and  if  instinct  be  only  the  outcome  of 
law,  it  is  the  direct  product  of  God's  thoughts." 

"Intelligence  of  all  kinds  comes  from  God,"  according 
to  Dr.  John  P.  D.  John,  former  dean  of  DePauw  Univer- 
sity, who  addressed  an  audience  last  evening  in  Grace 
Episcopal  Church.  He  spoke  on  the  subject,  "A  Glimpse 
of  God  in  Instinct." 

"The  horse  sometimes  reasons ;  likewise  the  dog,  cat 
and  various  other  animals,"  he  said.  "An  animal  makes 
use  of  reason  when  it  profits  by  its  own  experience. 
There  are  three  kinds  of  animal  actions  in  which  means 
are  adjusted  to  ends.  These  are  reflex,  instinctive  and 
rational. 

"Reflex  actions  are  beyond  the  control  of  the  will  and 
are  generally  beyond  the  sphere  of  consciousness.  The 
beatings  of  the  heart  and  the  chief  processes  of  digestion, 
circulation  and  respiration  are  instances  of  reflex  action. 
The  intelligence  in  these  actions  does  not  belong  to  the 
animal  itself. 

"Instinctive  actions  are  under  the  control  of  the  will 
and  the  animal  is  conscious  of  them.  All  the  animals  of 
the  same  species  under  the  same  circumstances  do  the 
same  things  in  the  same  way.  They  work  according  to 
a  plan,  but  they  do  not  perceive  that  it  is  a  plan.  Each 
animal  does  its  work  just  like  every  other  animal  of  its 
species,  and  just  as  its  ancestors  have  done  and  as  its 
posterity  will  do  afterward.  This  class  of  actions  em- 
braces the  greater  part  of  the  volitional  work  of  the  lower 
animals,  such  as  the  cell  building  of  the  bees,  the  nest 
building  of  birds  and  other  forms  of  animal  industry.  In 
these  cases  the  animals  seem  to  proceed  consciously  to 


INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND   REFLEX  ACTION  33! 

adopt  means  to  ends,  but  they  do  it  blindly.  In  this  case 
of  actions  the  animal  does  not  benefit  by  its  individual 
experience.  It  strikes  out  on  no  new  path.  Rational  ac- 
tions are  those  in  which  the  animal  profits  by  its  own  ex- 
perience and  strikes  out  on  new  paths. 

"Numerous  instances  were  given  by  the  speaker  as 
illustrations  of  the  different  kinds  of  actions.  There  is 
intelligence  manifested  in  each  kind  of  action/  he  said. 
'The  intelligence  of  the  reflex  action  is  obviously  not 
that  of  the  animal  itself,  for  it  is  not  conscious  of  the  ac- 
tion. The  intelligence  of  the  rational  act  is  evidently 
that  of  the  animal  itself,  for  it  profits  by  its  own  expe- 
rience.' " 

I  agree  with  this  minister  in  that  these  instinctive  acts 
are  intelligent,  but  not  that  they  are  God's  actions.  If 
God  is  back  of  the  different  instinctive  acts  in  this  world, 
I  would  consider  him  a  bad  actor.  The  mating  instinct 
in  man  causes  him  to  murder  his  fellow  man  sometimes 
upon  the  slightest  provocation.  His  extra  muscular  de- 
velopment arose  only  from  the  mating  instinct  and  we 
know  from  other  animals  of  his  kind  that  such  muscular 
development  is  only  for  the  purpose  of  contending  with 
his  fellow  man  for  the  possession  of  the  female.  His  mat- 
ing instinct  drives  him  against  his  own  reason  to  murder 
and  suicide.  This  instinct  will  compel  him  to  run  away 
with  his  wife's  sister  and  leave  his  own  wife  and  family 
or  to  run  away  with  another  man's  wife,  while  he  has  a 
wife  of  his  own  living.  You  remove  the  cause  of  this 
mating  instinct  and  those  instincts  and  troubles  do  not 
arise. 

The  instinct  of  the  cat  is  to  play  with  a  mouse  until 
it  is  dead,  and  sometimes  to  keep  up  the  torture  of  the 
little  nervous,  sensitive  creature  for  hours.  This  instinct 
to  torture  the  little  innocent  mouse  is  unjust  and  un- 


332    CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

reasonable.  The  tiger  will  do  the  same  with  a  child.  The 
claws  of  the  animal  are  made  for  that  purpose.  I  could 
go  on  indefinitely  and  describe  instincts  of  this  character 
which  would  impute  to  God  the  instigation  of  actions 
most  cruel  and  unjust. 

The  suffering  in  the  world  has  been  pointed  out  by 
philosophers  and  naturalists.  Saint  George  Mivart  says : 
"The  world  not  only  suffers,  but  has  suffered  for  millions 
of  years  ere  man  was.  For  untold  ages  bloodthirsty 
rapine  has  raged  and  reigned,  and  cries  of  pain  due  to 
cruel  wounds  and  to  limbs  crushed  in  bloodstained  jaws, 
have  continually  resounded  in  the  only  one  of  God's 
worlds  we  are  able  to  know  and  understand.  The  very 
existence  of  many  creatures  is  bound  up  with  the  suffer- 
ings of  others,  and  parasites,  external  and  internal,  tor- 
ture their  helpless  and  involuntary  hosts,  by  implements 
carefully  contrived  for  securing  their  hold  and  aiding 
their  progress."  All  these  different  cruelties  they  call 
instinctive  actions  in  animals  and  plants,  yet  I  do  not  be- 
lieve they  are  God's  doings. 

Bergson  has  the  following  to  say  about  instinct  in  in- 
sects :  "When  the  horse  fly  lays  its  eggs  on  the  legs  or 
shoulders  of  the  horse,  it  acts  as  if  it  knew  that  its  larvae 
have  to  develop  in  the  horse's  stomach,  and  that  the  horse 
in  licking  itself  will  convey  the  larvae  into  its  digestive 
tract.  When  the  paralizing  wasp  stings  its  victim,  in 
just  those  points  where  the  nervous  center  lies,  so  as  to 
render  it  motionless  without  killing  it,  it  acts  like  a 
learned  entomologist  and  a  skillful  surgeon.  But  what 
shall  we  say  of  the  little  beetle  sitaris,  whose  story  is  so 
often  quoted?  This  insect  often  lays  its  eggs  at  the 
entrance  of  the  underground  passages  dug  by  a  kind  of 
bee,  the  anthophora.  Its  larva,  after  long  waiting,  springs 
upon  the  male  anthophora  as  it  goes  out  of  the  passage, 


INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND  REFLEX  ACTION  333 

clings  to  it  and  remains  attached  until  the  "nuptial  flight", 
when  it  seizes  the  opportunity  to  pass  from  the  male  to 
the  female  and  quietly  waits  until  it  lays  its  eggs.  It 
then  leaps  on  the  egg  which  serves  as  a  support  for  it  in 
the  honey,  devours  the  egg  in  a  few  days  and  resting 
on  the  shell  undergoes  its  first  metamorphosis,  organized 
now  to  float  on  the  honey  it  consumes  this  provision  of 
nourishment  and  becomes  a  nymph,  then  a  perfect  insect. 

"Everything  happens  as  if  the  larva  of  the  sitaris,  from 
the  moment  it  was  hatched,  knew  that  the  male  antho- 
phora  would  first  emerge  from  the  passage.  That  the 
"nuptial  flight"  would  give  it  the  means  of  conveying 
itself  to  the  female,  who  would  take  it  to  a  store  of  honey 
sufficient  to  feed  it  after  its  transformation,  that  until  this 
transformation  it  could  gradually  eat  the  egg  of  the  an- 
thophora,  in  such  a  way  that  it  could  at  the  same  time 
feed  itself.  And  all  this  happens  as  if  the  sitaris  itself 
knew  that  its  larva  would  know  all  these  things. 

"The  yellow  Sphex,  which  has  adopted  the  cricket  for 
its  victim,  knows  that  the  cricket  has  three  nerve  centers, 
which  serve  its  three  pairs  of  legs,  or  at  least  it  acts  as  if 
it  knew  this.  It  stings  the  insect  first  under  the  neck,  then 
behind  the  pro-thorax  and  then  where  the  thorax  joins 
the  abdomen.  Is  it  not  plain  that  life  goes  on  to  work 
here  exactly  like  consciousness,  exactly  like  memory?" 

Mr.  Bergson  is  compelled  to  admit  that  the  actions  of 
these  insects  show  the  same  intellect  as  the  actions  of 
conscious  man.  However,  we  find  that  nearly  all  writers 
now  agree  that  there  is  no  difference  between  instinctive 
and  intelligent  acts.  I  maintain  first  that  intelligence 
and  instinct  are  one  and  the  same  thing;  second,  that  the 
cells  as  well  as  animals  and  plants  show  the  same  in- 
stincts. 

If  you  transfer  any  black  bee  to  Australia  or  California, 


334     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

the  habits  will  completely  change.  She  will  find  out  that 
the  perpetual  summer  will  always'  provide  honey  in 
abundance  and  she  will  be  content  to  live  from  day  to 
day  and  just  gather  enough  for  each  day's  consumption. 
The  same  experience  has  been  observed  in  man ;  neither 
man  nor  bee  will  hustle  and  store  up  provisions  for  the 
future  unless  compelled  to  do  so.  The  cells, in  the  brain 
of  the  bee  and  man  direct  similar  actions. 

Coming  back  to  the  different  kinds  of  instinctive  ac- 
tions of  animals  and  insects,  I  think  that  protective  color- 
ation is  the  most  interesting  and  significant.  I  quote  the 
following  from  Mr.  Loeb's  Mechanistic  Theory  of  Life: 

"That  vision  is  based  on  the  formation  of  an  image  in 
the  brain,  is  supported  by  a  group  of  facts.  Sumner  has 
shown  that  certain  fishes  are  able  to  reproduce  on  their 
skin  rather  complicated  patterns,  to-wit : — a  chess  board, 
which  forms  the  bottom  of  the  aquarium.  Panchet  many 
years  ago  showed  that  the  adaptation  of  fishes  to  the 
ground  ceases  as  soon  as  their  eyes  are  removed  or  as 
soon  as  the  formation  of  retinal  images  is  prevented 
through  the  turbidity  of  the  refractive  media  of  the  eye. 
This  fact  proves  that  the  so-called  adaptation  of  fishes 
to  their  surroundings  is  only  the  transmission  of  the 
retinal  image  to  the  skin. 

"It  has  been  shown  that  the  destruction  of  the  optic 
fibers  and  the  optic  ganglia  in  the  brain  acts  like  the 
extirpation  of  the  eyes  and  finally  it  has  been  proven  that 
the  *cu*ting  of  the  sympathetic  fibers  which  go  to  the 
pigment  cells  of  the  skin  also  prevents  the  formation  of 
the  picture  of  the  ground  on  the  skin. 

"Hence,  we  know  the  path  by  which  the  retinal  image 
is  transferred  to  the  skin  of  fishes.  The  mechanism  and 
conditions  for  the  change  in  coloration  was  made  clear 
by  the  investigations  of  Keeble  &,  Gamble  on  the  color 


INSTINCTIVE,   EMOTIONAL  AND   REFLEX  ACTION  335 

change  in  crustaceans.  According  to  these  authors  the 
pigment  cells  can,  as  a  rule,  be  considered  as  consisting 
of  a  central  body  from  which  a  system  of  more  or  less 
complicated  ramifications  or  processes  spreads  out  in 
all  directions.  As  a  rule,  the  center  of  the  cell  contains 
one  or  more  different  pigments  which,  under  the  influence 
of  nerves,  can  spread  out  separately  or  together  into  the 
ramifications.  These  phenomena  of  spreading  and  retrac- 
tion of  the  pigments  into  or  from  the  ramifications  of  the 
pigment  cells,  form  on  the  whole  the  basis  for  the  color 
changes.  Under  the  influence  of  environment,  when  the 
animal  appears  transparent,  all  the  pigment  is  contained 
in  the  middle  of  the  cell  while  the  ramifications  are  free 
from  pigment.  When  the  animal  appears  brown  both 
pigments  are  spread  out  into  ramifications.  In  the  con- 
dition of  normal  spreading  the  animals  appear  black, 
while  many  animals  show  transitory  changes  in  color 
under  influence  of  their  surroundings ;  in  a  few  cases 
permanent  changes  can  be  produced. 

"The  best  examples  of  this  are  those  observed  by  Paul- 
ton,  in  the  chrysalids  of  various  butterflies.  These  ex- 
periments are  so  well  known  that  a  short  reference  to 
them  will  be  sufficient.  Paulton  found  that  in  gilt  or 
white  surroundings  the  pupae  became  light  colored  and 
there  was  often  an  immense  development  of  the  golden 
spots  so  that  in  many  cases  the  whole  surface  of  the 
pupae  glittered  with  an  apparent  metallic  luster.  So 
remarkable  was  the  appearance  that  a  physicist  to  whom 
I  showed  the  chrysalids  suggested  that  I  had  played  a 
trick  and  had  covered  them  with  gold  leaf.  When  black 
surroundings  were  used  they  were  as  a  rule  extremely 
dark." 

Just  notice  the  facts  in  these  cases :  first,  a  picture  of 
the  ground  is  taken  in  the  eye,  transferred  to  the  skin 


336     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

cells  through  several  stations  or  nerve  centers, — they 
must  first  get  a  picture  of  the  outside  surroundings ;  sec- 
ond, the  cells  of  the  skin  then  arrange  the  color  plugs  in 
the  surface  of  the  skin  in  such  manner  as  to  effect  the 
desired  shade.  The  facts  prove  that  it  is  first  a  vision 
transmission  by  a  method  of  telephotography.  If  the 
cells  can  build  instruments  of  that  kind  it  is  reasonable 
to  think  that  man  will  also  be  able  to  produce  the  same 
kind  of  instrument.  Not  only  will  these  fishes  produce 
the  same  color  on  their  backs  as  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
but  will  also  produce  the  same  appearances  of  stones, 
pebbles  and  other  features  to  correspond  with  their  im- 
mediate resting  place. 

Now  this  should  illustrate  fully  the  idea  that  it  is  not 
the  fish,  God,  destiny,  nature  nor  the  devil  that  builds  and 
instigates  the  actions  of  plants  and  animals.  Here  we 
have  the  cells  arranging  the  pigment  to  conform  to  the 
surroundings,  as  soon  as  they  get  a  picture  of  it,  so  as  to 
have  something  to  go  by.  Still  Mr.  Loeb  believes,  or  at 
least  claims,  that  the  cells  have  nothing  to  do  with  it, 
that  it  is  merely  a  chemical  action,  while  the  minister 
says  God's  will  or  Divine  providence  is  the  cause. 

Let  us  consider  some  of  the  common  emotions,  like 
love,  fear,  and  jealousy.  Take  for  instance  the  actions 
arising  from  love.  A  person  can  be  perfectly  sane  and 
still  be  under  the  control  of  those  passions  or  emotions, 
and  while  possessed  of  them  commit  some  of  the  most 
absurd  and  insane  acts.  The  cells  concerned  with  sex 
are  given  full  control  of  the  body.  A  picture  of  a  certain 
female  has  been  transferred  through  the  eye  to  these 
cells  and  they  have  decided  that  the  possession  of  that 
particular  female  must  be  obtained  at  any  cost.  A  very 
singular  but  significant  thing  has  been  shown,  that  the 
actions  of  the  male  and  female  germ  cells  in  the  acts  of 


INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND  REFLEX  ACTION  337 

copulation  as  single  cells  are  very  similar  to  the  actions 
of  the  individuals,  from  whence  they  came.  The  fact  is 
that  our  actions  are  directed  by  the  sex  cells  and  not  by 
the  brain  cells.  This  fact  has  been  fully  conceded  by 
other  scientists,  as  will  appear  by  the  following  from 
Ribot  on  the  emotions : 

"Solomon  says  that  jealousy  is  as  cruel  as  the  grave. 
Shakespeare  agrees  with  the  Bible  and  holds  that  only 
fools  are  jealous.  He  also  shows  with  wonderful  insight 
that  jealousy  is  self-destructive  and  its  venom  more 
deadly  than  a  mad  dog's  tooth. 

"Jealousy  undoubtedly  is  a  magnifier  of  trifles,  and  the 
most  accurate  and  precise  mathematician  or  bookkeeper 
correct  to  the  letter  ordinarily,  will  when  jealous  turn  a 
simple  sentence  into  volumes  of  pseudo-history.  Trifles 
as  light  as  air  are  to  the  jealous  confirmations  strong  as 
proofs  of  Holy  Writ.  A  jealous  woman  believes  all  that 
her  emotions  suggest.  It  is  her  jealous  nature  to  swell 
small  things  to  great.  Out  of  nothing  she  will  conjure 
much  and  then  lose  the  truth  amid  the  hideous  phantoms 
she  has  formed.  She  makes  a  true  husband  false  by  for- 
ever suspecting  him.  Inquisitiveness  never  allays  the 
pangs  of  jealousy.  You  may  as  well  expect  drinking  in 
a  fever  to  cure  a  thirst. 

"Dr.  Savage's  first  difficulty  is  the  well  known  one  of 
defining  what  he  means  by  supposedly  simple  words. 
'Jealousy,'  he  says,  'is  a  personal  feeling  where  you  feel 
powerfully  a  want  of  something  which  you  are  deprived 
of  by  another.  It  is  a  feeling  and  not  a  thought.' 

"So  intimately  is  jealousy  usually  associated  with  one 
of  the  other  sex  that  you  are  prone  to  lose  sight  of  the 
fact  that  dogs  are  often  jealous  of  new  babies,  children 
of  the  same  sex  are  jealous  of  each  other,  professional 
men  dislike  each  other  because  there  is  an  unconscious 


338     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

jealousy  present,  which  they  not  only  deny,  but  fail  abso- 
lutely to  recognize.  Close  competitors  are  not  only  jeal- 
ous of  each  other,  but  particularly  and  more  strongly 
jealous  of  those  whom  they  see  forging  ahead  of  them. 
Jealousy  always  has  in  it  a  suppressed,  hidden  and  irri- 
tating admiration  or  fear  of  the  one  you  are  jealous  of, 
unless  it  is  of  the  opposite  sex.  Then  love  or  passion  or 
the  sense  of  possession  comes  also  into  play.  When  a 
medical  authority  dislikes  another  physician,  he  is  un- 
aware of  the  fact  that  he  is  jealous  of  the  other  man's 
prominence,  progress  and  work  and  is  equally  uncon- 
scious of  the  fact  that  he  himself  feels  a  sense  of  dis- 
possession. Therefore  he  hates  him  and  envies  him, 
although  he  is  convinced  that  such  a  thing  is  beyond  all 
possibility.  Just  as  hunting  animals  are  always  jealous 
of  others  sharing  their  prey  and  will  fight  them,  so  a 
jealous  woman  will  fight  all  other  women  with  her  hand- 
iest weapon,  the  tongue,  and  a  jealous  man  will  stop  at 
no  means  to  be  rid  of  the  source  of  his  envy.  Even  fish 
at  spawning  time  show  fight  to  other  males  that  dare 
approach  their  spawning  mate.  'This,'  says  Sir  George 
Savage,  'is  important  because  the  male  fish  and  its  mate 
are  never  otherwise  than  mentally  in  touch,  for  the  female 
fish  lays  its  eggs  outside  and  they  are  fertilized  there — 
not  within  the  body.' 

"In  birds  sexual  jealousy  occurs  before  as  well  as  at 
the  time  of  the  period  of  mating.  The  struggle  is  often 
between  parent  and  offspring  as  to  possession  of  the 
female.  In  the  case  of  mammals,  the  struggle  is  fiercely 
in  evidence.  The  meekest  of  mice  and  the  fiercest  of 
wild  beasts  really  seek  out  combats  for  the  possession  of 
their  mates.  This  is  also  true  of  apes,  ourang-outangs 
and  other  monkeys 

"If  the  individual  with  this  surplus  of  jealousy  making 


INSTINCTIVE,   EMOTIONAL  AND   REFLEX  ACTION  339 

agencies  is  a  self-depreciative,  retiring,  bashful  person, 
suicide  may  result.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  he  is  of  the 
bold,  forward,  belligerent,  noisy  kind,  jealousy  leads  to 
homicide.  In  either  instance,  insanity  is  the  motive 
force  which  has  loosened  the  check  reins  of  the  will." 

You  see  in  this  statement  it  is  agreed  that  the  brain 
may  be  perfectly  sound,  but  the  body  is  placed  in  control 
of  some  nerve  center,  or  little  brain,  as  they  call  it, 
located  somewhere  in  the  body  and  not  in  the  brain. 

Take  another  emotion,  for  instance,  that  of  fear;  no 
doubt  certain  special  cells  are  given  full  charge  of  affairs, 
when  a  person  becomes  frightened.  He  does  things 
swiftly  and  without  thinking.  Stampedes  and  other  ir- 
rational acts  take  place,  as  for  instance  in  fires  and 
wrecks.  A  good  illustration  of  an  animal  in  charge  of 
special  nerve  centers  controlling  the  body  in  case  of  fear, 
is  the  frightened  horse.  When  once  frightened  or  pos- 
sessed by  the  emotion  of  fear,  he  will  run  as  long  as  he 
is  able;  he  will  stop  at  nothing.  Certain  motor  nerve 
centers  in  control  of  the  movements  of  running  will  com- 
pel him  to  run  as  far  and  fast  as  possible.  On  the  plains 
where  the  horse  lived  for  thousands  of  years  in  a  natural 
state,  his  only  method  of  escape  from  his  enemies  was  a 
run  for  his  life  in  this  manner.  The  cells  organized  for 
that  purpose  keep  it  up  even  now  when  it  is  no  longer  of 
any  use  to  the  horse.  His  instinct  to  shy  to  one  side  of 
any  object  is  evidently  also  located  in  certain  cells.  No 
doubt  tigers  and  lions  always  hid  behind  different  kinds 
of  objects  and  the  horse  soon  learned  that  it  was  the 
safest  plan  to  steer  to  one  side  of  all  objects,  no  matter 
what  they  looked  like.  It  is  a  singular  thing  how  sud- 
denly and  completely  the  nerve  centers  in  charge  of  the 
emotion  of  fear  can  take  possession  of  an  animal. 

I  have  watched  the  actions  of  deer  and  elk.    The  deer 


340     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

will  be  grazing  quietly  and  if  a  dog  or  sometimes  a  man 
gets  in  the  way  of  his  olfactory  nerves,  he  will  perceive 
their  presence  and  will  instantly  start  off  at  full  speed. 
The  instant  that  the  cells  in  his  nose  by  a  chemical  analy- 
sis discover  that  the  dust  particles  in  the  air  are  from  a 
dog  and  not  from  a  deer,  the  motor  apparatus  is  given 
full  control  and  he  moves  to  safety  immediately.  If, 
however,  the  smell  should  come  from  another  animal, 
like  a  cow  or  horse,  the  deer  will  raise  his  head  and  at 
first  look  and  investigate,  before  it  starts  running.  This 
is  precisely  what  would  take  place  in  a  similar  case  with  a 
battleship  or  submarine. 

Every  cell  of  the  deer's  body  knows  that  the  dog  is  his 
enemy,  so  there  is  no  need  of  stopping  and  investigating 
the  matter,  but  upon  discovery  orders  are  immediately 
given  to  get  away.  So  it  is  with  the  English  ship ;  as 
soon  as  it  discovers  the  submarine  to  be  a  German  vessel, 
the  only  thing  to  do  is  to  escape.  If,  however,  some  ship 
is  in  sight  which  has  not  the  appearance  of  a  German 
vessel,  the  only  natural  thing  to  do  is  to  further  investi- 
gate. It  is  not  chance  that  controls  the  actions  of  the 
deer  but  an  intellect  whose  unsleeping  watchfulness  and 
loyalty  is  equal  in  every  way  to  that  of  man.  It  is  the 
intellect  of  the  cell  that  keeps  careful  watch  over  all  that 
happens  within  and  without  the  individual.  In  the  same 
manner  it  is  the  intellect  and  wisdom  of  man  that  guides 
the  destiny  and  welfare  of  the  English  ship. 

A  chicken  raised  from  an  incubator  who  has  never 
heard  or  seen  a  hawk,  can  tell  a  hawk  from  a  crow  at  a 
distance  of  half  a  mile.  They  will  run  to  the  house  for 
safety  at  the  first  sight  of  a  hawk,  but  pay  no  attention  to 
other  birds.  In  similar  manner  the  crew  of  a  battleship 
can  tell  at  a  distance  the  first  time  they  see  a  ship, 
whether  it  is  an  enemy  or  a  friend. 


INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND  REFLEX  ACTION  34] 

The  experiences  of  the  ages  are  in  the  intellects  of  the 
individuals  that  control  and  guide  the  battleship,  and  not 
in  the  battleship  itself.  So  it  is  with  the  chicken  that 
knows  from  past  experience  what  kind  of  bird  is  dan- 
gerous. The  chicken  has  no  more  to  do  with  it  than  the 
battleship.  The  intellect  that  guides  the  ship  will  make 
mistakes  now  and  then,  and  so  will  the  intellect  that 
guides  the  chicken. 

A  most  si-ngular  fact  observed  in  the  life  of  the  cell  as 
in  larger  animals  is  that  competition  exists  among  them 
in  the  same  manner  as  among  the  animals  and  plants  they 
build.  It  is  the  intention  of  the  cells  that  competition 
shall  exist.  Thousands  of  male  cells  start  out  to  find  the 
female  cell  at  about  the  same  time.  The  intention  is 
evident  that  there  shall  be  fair  play  and  the  best  man 
shall  have  the  opportunity  to  live  and  perpetuate  his  kind. 
We  find  the  same  arrangement  among  the  Social  bees. 
There  is  one  Queen,  and  sometimes  five  hundred  or  more 
males.  The  male  that  is  the  swiftest  and  overtakes  her  in 
her  nuptial  flight  will  be  selected  to  perpetuate  himself. 

It  is  a  singular  thing  that  in  all  organic  life  everything 
is  made  for  a  purpose,  that  is,  every  animal  is  built  with 
a  design  or  purpose  to  lead  a  certain  kind  of  life.  The 
muskrat  is  a  structure  made  for  the  purpose  of  moving  in 
water  and  on  land.  Its  fur  is  adapted  for  water.  It  has 
a  thick  fine  hair  oiled  so  that  the  skin  may  be  in  water 
and  still  remain  dry.  Its  feet  are  wide  and  flat,  and 
webbed  so  that  it  can  swim.  Its  tail  is  wide  and  flat 
covered  with  scales  to  assist  in  swimming.  The  house  rat 
is  different  and  is  fitted  for  its  purpose  and  environment. 
In  the  same  manner  every  organ  is  made  for  a  particular 
purpose  or  use,  which  we  may  call  function.  Every 
organ  of  a  body,  plant  or  animal  is  a  body  of  cells  grouped 


342     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

together  for  a  certain  purpose,  and  assigned  a  certain 
work  to  do. 

The  more  highly  organized  any  being  becomes,  the 
more  specialized  and  complex  are  the  organs  and  the 
work  performed  by  them.  In  the  lower  beings  like  the 
polyp  there  are  no  cells  assigned  to  the  special  work  of 
receiving  impressions  and  giving  orders,  and  for  that 
reason  this  plant  or  animal,  whatever  you  wish  to  call  it, 
has  not  what  we  call  a  nervous  system :  so  if  it  is 
touched  it  will  act  and  pull  in  its  tentacles,  but  its  actions 
are  slow  and  from  one  tentacle  to  the  other  until  they  are 
all  in ;  while  in  others  just  like  it  in  appearance,  but  which 
have  cells  arranged  for  the  special  work  of  receiving 
sensations  and  giving  orders,  like  the  polyzoan,  the  ten- 
tacles will  all  be  pulled  in  quickly  and  at  the  same  time. 

These  animals  have  what  we  call  a  nervous  system. 
These  nerve  cells  have  no  other  work  to  do  and  they  be- 
come specially  adapted  for  this  specific  work  and  are  able 
to  notify  all  the  cells  to  act  at  the  same  time.  In  the 
same  manner  the  organs  of  every  being  become  adapted 
or  in  other  words  adapt  themselves  to  the  particular 
work  assigned  to  them. 

The  heart  is  a  combination  of  cells  arranged  into 
groups  to  form  muscles,  to  push  the  blood  in  one  con- 
tinuous direction.  The  lung  is  a  place  where  the  cells 
come  in  contact  with  the  air,  and  breath  and  carry  with 
them  enough  oxygen  for  the  stationary  cells  in  the  bone, 
muscles,  nerves,  etc.,  whose  work  prevents  them  from 
coming  into  direct  contact  with  the  air  in  the  lungs. 
There  is  at  all  times  waste  matter  accumulating  in  the 
blood,  so  the  liver  was  organized, —  which  is  another 
group  of  cells  with  the  special  work  to  do  of  removing 
waste  matter  from  the  blood.  This  is  also  true  of  the 
kidneys  and  the  bladder. 


INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND  REFLEX  ACTION  343 

There  must  be  a  mill  to  grind  the  food,  before  it  goes 
into  the  stomach,  so  teeth  are  built  up  at  the  upper  end 
of  the  oesophagus,  which  we  call  the  mouth.  Every 
thing  is  a  group  of  cells,  stationed  at  a  certain  place  and 
assigned  a  certain  work  to  do,  each  group  performing 
its  alloted  work,  faithfully  and  promptly,  as  is  absolutely 
necessary  for  its  existence. 

If  any  organs  like  the  heart,  kidneys,  liver  or  lungs 
should  stop  working,  or  even  do  the  work  poorly,  all  the 
others  would  suffer.  So  when  the  work  of  any  one  is 
interfered  with  the  whole  body  is  threatened. 

It  has  been  demonstrated  that  the  nerve  center  which 
has  the  breathing  apparatus  in  charge,  observes  con- 
stantly the  condition  of  the  blood  flowing  through  it,  as 
to  its  aerated  condition.  This  fact  was  demonstrated  by 
directing  well  oxidized  blood  through  it,  when  the  breath- 
ing would  stop,  and  when  poorly  oxidized  blood  was 
directed  through  it  the  breathing  became  very  rapid,  re- 
gardless of  the  condition  of  the  blood  in  the  body  in 
general. 

We  see  from  these  facts  that  every  movement  of  our 
body,  voluntary  or  involuntary,  is  performed  by  reason 
of  being  instructed  to  do  so  by  certain  nerve  cells  or 
nerve  centers,  who  have  that  particular  work  to  attend  to. 
We  have  seen  that  a  nerve  cell  is  a  cell  modified  a  little, 
and  adapted  for  a  particular  work. 

Any  way  that  we  look  at  this  matter  of  evolution  and 
development  in  life,  we  see  that  the  actions  oi  the  individ- 
ual must  be  the  actions  of  the  cells  that  occupy  it.  Dar- 
win and  several  others  argue  that  instinctive  actions  must 
have  arisen  at  some  time  from  conscious  practise.  That 
is,  the  conscious  practise  must  have  been  kept  up  until  it 
became  a  habit,  and  then  the  habit  was  inherited.  Let 
us  briefly  examine  that  proposition.  The  young  bee  will 


344     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

proceed  without  any  previous  instructions  to  build  the 
cells  of  the  comb,  just  as  perfectly  as  the  older  bee.  If 
for  any  reason  she  gets  started  wrong,  she  will  tear  it  all 
down  and  start  it  all  over  again.  She  will  work  at  it  un- 
til she  gets  it  right.  Where  do  these  actions  appear  like 
habit  and  when  did  the  bee  ever  have  a  chance  to  prac- 
tise in  a  conscious  way,  in  the  past  any  more  than  today, 
so  as  to  form  a  habit?  You  see  the  idea  is  absurd.  Why 
should  the  bee's  acts  be  instinctive  any  more  than  Mr. 
Darwin's?  Why  should  the  bee's  actions  be  considered 
blind  and  unconscious? 

Take  another  case  of  the  plant  that  makes  traps  in 
which  to  catch  insects.  My  school  book  on  botany  de- 
scribes it  as  follows :  "The  leaves  of  pitcher  plants  form 
tubes  or  urns  of  various  forms,  which  contain  water;  and 
to  these  insects  are  attracted  and  drowned.  The  com- 
mon pitcher  plant  of  the  northern  states,  a  Sarracenia,  is 
a  well  known  bog  plant,  but  is  not  so  elaborately  con- 
structed for  capturing  insects  as  is  a  common  southern 
Sarracenia.  In  this  plant  the  leaves  are  slender,  hollow 
cones,  and  rise  in  a  tuft  from  the  swampy  ground.  T,he 
mouth  of  this  conical  urn  is  overarched  and  shaded  by  a 
hood,  in  which  are  translucent  spots,  like  numerous  small 
windows.  Around  the  mouth  of  the  urn  are  glands  which 
secrete  a  sweet  liquid,  known  as  nectar.  Inside,  just 
below  the  rim  of  the  urn,  is  a  glazed  zone,  so  smooth  that 
insects  cannot  walk  upon  it.  Below  the  glazed  zone  is 
another  one,  thickly  set  with  stiff,  downward  pointing 
hairs ;  and  below  this  is  the  liquid  in  the  bottom  of  the 
urn.  If  a  fly  attracted  to  the  nectar  at  the  rim  of  the  urn 
attempts  to  descend  within  the  urn,  it  slips  on  the  glazed 
zone  and  falls  into  the  water ;  and  if  it  attempts  to  escape 
by  crawling,  the  downward  pointing  hairs  prevent.  If  it 
seeks  to  fly  from  the  rim,  it  naturally  flies  toward  the 


INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND  REFLEX  ACTION  345 

translucent  spots  in  the  hood,  since  the  direction  or 
entrance  is  in  the  shadow;  and  pounding  against  the 
hood,  falls  back  into  the  water  and  is  drowned.  Now 
you  will  have  to  say  according  to  this  theory,  that  in- 
stinct arose  from  conscious  practise  at  some  time  in  the 
past.  When  did  the  plant  ever  get  the  habit  of  eating 
insects  by  conscious  practise,  or  when  did  the  plant  have 
a  chance  to  get  the  habit  of  building  this  wonderful  fly 
trap,  by  conscious  practise? 

If  the  actions  of  the  bee  or  plant  were  conscious  in  the 
past,  they  must  be  so  now.  These  absurd  ideas  arose 
from  man's  egotism.  Man  thinks  his  brain  cells  are 
smarter  and  different  from  the  cells  of  any  other  animal, 
insect  or  plant,  and  the  fact  is,  they  are  all  alike,  one  as 
smart  as  the  other.  When  the  microscope  first  discovered 
the  cell  for  us,  we  gave  it  the  name  protoplasm.  The 
name  is  meaningless  and  misleading.  The  cells  are  the 
superior  beings  that  create  all  living  things  and  as  such 
are  the  most  highly  organized  beings  in  existence.  All 
actions  of  plants  and  animals,  habitual,  instinctive,  emo- 
tional, reflex  or  impulsive  are  caused  by  cells.  Watch 
the  actions  of  a  squirrel  or  bird  building  its  nest.  He 
knows  what  he  wants,  where  he  wants  it  and  how  to  build 
it.  Still  he  has  this  knowledge  without  having  had  the 
slightest  education  or  instruction  in  the  work.  His  nest 
is  an  artistic  production.  He  selects  and  carries  the  right 
material,  weaves  it  together  and,  like  any  skillful  work- 
man, makes  the  forces  of  nature  subserve  to  his  wants. 
Like  man  the  bird  builds  and  weaves;  like  man  the  spider 
lays  snares  and  prepares  an  abode  for  its  young;  like 
man,  the  squirrel  gathers  provisions  for  the  winter;  like 
man,  the  caterpillar  makes  itself  a  coat.  In  other  words, 
the  animals  without  any  previous  instructions  practice 
all  the  industries  of  man. 


346     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

We  say  that  man's  acts  are  intelligent  because  he  does 
these  things  purposely  and  knowingly  for  an  end.  Ani- 
mals, we  say,  act  blindly,  not  knowing  the  purpose  of 
their  actions ;  except  for  the  fact  that  man  acts  knowingly 
and  the  animals  blindly  or  unknowingly  the  actions  are 
the  same,  that  is,  intelligent.  What  right  has  man  to 
make  such  silly  statements,  being  himself  an  animal? 
Why  should  his  actions  be  any  more  knowing  than  the 
actions  of  the  other  animals? 

In  regard  to  instinctive  actions  of  insects  and  plants 
the  following  by  Mr.  Walker  is  interesting : 

"In  the  pitcher  plants  the  leaves  take  the  form  of  up- 
right pitchers.  The  upper  secretes  honey,  which  attracts 
numerous  insects.  Below  this  zone  is  a  slippery  surface, 
the  slide-zone,  which  causes  the  insects  to  fall  into  the 
water  below.  These  hairs  are  inclined  downward,  so  that 
they  catch  and  prevent  the  insect  from  climbing  out; 
they  are  drowned  in  the  water  at  the  bottom  of  the 
pitcher,  where  they  decompose  and  provide  food  for  the 
plant. 

"It  has  been  said  that  a  further  adaptation  takes  place 
in  one  species  of  pitcher-plant  (Nepenthe  bicalcarata). 
The  species  occurs  in  Borneo,  where  a  little  lemur  (Tars- 
ius  spectrum)  has  learned  that  it  can  get  a  number  of  in- 
sects from  a  pitcher-plant  without  the  trouble  of  catch- 
ing them  for  itself.  This  particular  pitcher  plant  has  got 
the  better  of  the  lemur,  however,  for  it  grows  two  long, 
strong  prickles  from  the  lower  side  of  the  base  of  the  lid. 
These  project  downwards  into  the  opening  of  the  pitcher, 
so  that  the  would-be  robber  is  seriously  scratched. 

"The  manner  in  which  some  other  carnivorous  plants 
catch  their  prey  is  equally  remarkable.  The  leaves  of 
Drosera  are  provided  with  numerous  tentacles,  at  the 
ends  of  which  are  glandular  enlargements.  The  tentacles 


INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND   REFLEX  ACTION  34? 

round  the  margin  of  the  leaf  are  long,  those  in  the  middle 
are  short.  The  glands  secrete  a  quantity  of  a  glistening 
and  very  sticky  substance,  which  insects  mistake  for  dew 
or  honey  and  are  attracted.  Now  if  the  short  central  ten- 
tacles are  stimulated,  all  the  long  peripheral  tentacles 
bend  over  so  that  their  enlarged  ends  cover  the  middle  of 
the  leaf.  If  an  individual  long  tentacle  is  stimulated,  only 
that  particlar  tentacle  moves. 

"Let  us  see  what  happens  when  an  insect  touches  any 
of  the  tentacles  of  the  leaf.  If  it  touches  the  central  ten- 
tacles, it  is  held  by  the  sticky  substance,  and  all  the  long 
peripheral  tentacles  bend  over  and  enclose  it.  If  it 
touches  one  of  the  long  peripheral  tentacles,  it  is  alsc 
held  fast  by  the  sticky  secretion,  and  the  tentacle  bends 
over  and  deposits  it  on  the  centre  of  the  leaf.  This  stim- 
ulates the  short  central  tentacles,  and  so  all  the  other 
large  tentacles  bend  over  and  enclose  the  victim.  When 
the  prey  is  thus  secured,  the  glands  proceed  to  secrete  a 
ferment  that  digests  the  insect,  and  the  products  are 
absorbed  by  the  leaf. 

"In  Scorpirurus  the  pod  containing  the  seed  in  some 
species  closely  resembles  a  caterpillar,  with  the  result 
that  insectivorous  birds  are  tempted  to  seize  it.  They 
probably  carry  it  some  distance  before  discovering  the 
mistake,  and  thus  distribute  the  seeds.  In  Acanthorhiza 
adventitious  roots  provide  a  thorny  palisade  above  the 
ground  at  some  distance  from  the  tree,  thus  preventing 
the  approach  of  animals.  The  extraordinary  instincts 
observed  among  insects  have  been  brought  forward  in 
support  of  the  theory  that  acquired  characters  are  trans- 
mitted. The  instincts  of  Ammophila  and  Sphex,  two 
genera  of  fossorial  wasps,  have  been  given  as  particular 
cases.  The  larvae  of  Ammophila  feed  upon  caterpillars, 
those  of  Sphex  upon  crickets  and  grasshoppers  which  are 


348     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

supplied  by  the  female.  In  both  cases  the  female  wasp 
first  makes  a  nest,  then  drags  the  prey  into  it  and  lays 
her  egg  or  eggs  upon  the  animals  which  were  destined  to 
provide  food  for  the  larvae  when  they  hatch  out.  The 
female  then  seals  up  the  nest  and  does  not  visit  it  again. 
Now,  in  providing  food  supply  for  the  future  larvae,  sev- 
eral extraordinary  instincts  come  into  play.  It  is  neces- 
sary that  the  caterpillars,  crickets,  and  grasshoppers 
should  be  paralyzed  when  they  are  caught,  otherwise  the 
wasp  would  have  tremendous  difficulty  in  conveying 
them  to  her  nest,  for  frequently  the  prey  is  much  larger 
than  the  wasp.  Again,  when  the  larvae  are  hatched  out, 
they  are  very  delicate  in  structure,  and  if  these  compara- 
tively large  animals  were  able  to  move  about  freely  they 
would  probably  kill  the  larvae  instead  of  providing  them 
with  food.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  prey  were  killed 
outright  by  the  wasp  when  caught,  decomposition  would 
set  in  in  a  few  hours,  and  thus  the  provision  made  by  the 
female  wasp  would  be  useless  to  the  larvae.  This  diffi- 
culty is,  however,  overcome  by  the  wasp.  When  Ammo- 
phila  catches  a  caterpillar  she  stings  it  in  each  of  the 
segments  of  the  body.  In  the  caterpillar  there  is  a  sep- 
arate nervous  centre  (ganglion)  in  each  segment,  and  if 
only  one  or  two  were  stung,  the  other  segments  would 
still  be  able  to  move  quite  freely.  In  the  prey  of  Sphex, 
however, — grasshoppers  and  crickets — there  are  three 
separate  nervous  centers  (ganglia)  which  control  the 
movements  of  the  animal.  These  are  situated  in  the 
thorax,  and  when  the  Sphex  catches  her  prey  she  stings 
it  in  these  three  separate  ganglia.  The  result  of  this  is  that 
the  prey  is  rendered  unable  to  move,  but  is  not  killed. 
Fabre,  who  first  described  these  phenomena,  was-  at  first 
unable  to  understand  how  it  was  that  the  prey  he  found 
in  the  nests  of  these  fossorial  wasps  did  not  decay,  but  he 


INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND   REFLEX  ACTION  349 

subsequently  showed  exactly  what  happened  by  some 
very  ingenious  experiments. 

"He  took  some  of  the  crickets  and  introduced  poison  into 
their  bodies  with  a  needle.  When  this  was  done  indis- 
criminately, that  is,  in  no  particular  part  of  the  animal's 
body,  it  either  killed  the  animal  or  produced  very  tem- 
porary results,  according  to  the  amount  of  poison  intro- 
duced. When,  however,  he  introduced  the  needle  into  the 
three  nervous  centres  (thoracic  ganglia)  which  control 
the  movements  of  the  insect,  he  found  that  complete  par- 
alysis ensued.  More  than  this,  the  metabolism  was 
checked,  and  the  paralyzed  insect  continued  to  live  with- 
out food  for  several  weeks,  which  it  certainly  could  not 
have  done  under  normal  conditions.  An  interesting  point 
about  this  instinct  of  Sphex  is  that  the  prey  is  stung  in 
one  particular  point  where  the  tissues  are  soft  and  the 
nerve  centres  are  easily  reached  from  the  surface.  Much 
the  same  thing  happens  in  the  case  of  Ammophila  and  its 
prey,  the  caterpillars,  only  here  the  wasp  has  to  apply  its 
sting  many  times,  so  that  all  the  middle  segments,  at 
least,  of  the  animal's  body  are  paralyzed. 

"Now  the  supporters  of  the  theory  that  acquired  char- 
acters are  transmitted  say  that  it  is  impossible  to  account 
for  the  origin  of  these  instincts  in  any  other  way  than 
that  the  ancestors  of  the  existing  wasps  first  exercised  a 
certain  amount  of  intelligence.  A  wasp  found  that  when 
it  stung  a  grasshopper  in  a  particular  place,  that  grass- 
hopper was  paralyzed  and  was  much  more  easily  carried 
to  the  nest.  It  remembered  this,  and  led  by  past  exper- 
iences, always  stung  its  prey  in  the  same  place.  This 
habit  produced  an  effect  on  the  germplasm,  and  the  off- 
spring tended  to  sting  their  prey  in  the  same  manner 
until  the  instinct  became  established,  and  so  no  longer 
depended  upon  the  intelligent  action  of  the  wasp.  This 


350     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

interpretation,  however,  appears  to  break  down  when 
carefully  considered.  To  begin  with,  it  assumes  that  in- 
telligent action  preceded  instincts.  We  find  that  the 
higher  we  go  in  the  animal  kingdom  the  fewer  the  in- 
stincts and  the  greater  the  intelligence.  We  only  find 
intelligent  action  as  a  very  late  product  in  evolution. 

"To  place  intelligent  action  before  an  instinct,  in  fact,  to 
derive  instincts  from  intelligent  actions,  seems  to  be  plac- 
ing the  cart  before  the  horse.  Another  very  important 
point  is  that  the  capture  of  the  grasshopper,  crickets,  and 
caterpillars,  paralyzing  them  without  killing  them,  and 
storing  them  in  the  nest,  is  not  of  the  slightest  use  to  the 
individual  wasp.  It  simply  provides  food  for  the  larvae 
which  the  wasp  will  never  se.e,  and  of  whose  needs  it  can 
have  no  experience.  This  interpretation,  in  fact,  attrib- 
utes to  the  wasp  a  prophetic  knowledge  with  regard  to 
subsequent  events,  of  which  neither  it  nor  any  of  its  an- 
cestors have  had  any  experience." 

You  notice  Mr.  Walker  has  considered  the  idea  of  in- 
telligence preceding  instinct,  and  discovered  its  absurd- 
ity. You  notice  the  wasp  is  a  skilled  hunter  and  surgeon 
and  a  good  provider.  He  provides  for  the  future  off- 
spring which  he  will  never  see,  just  as  intelligent  man 
provides  for  future  offspring,  which  he  may  never  see. 
What  right  has  man,  who  is  made  and  guided  by  the  same 
being,  the  cell,  to  say  that  these  same  acts  in  the  wasp 
are  less  intelligent  than  his.  The  animals  that  the  wasp 
captures  and  carries  home  to  his  family  are  three  or  four 
times  larger  than  himself.  He  has  by  practise  through 
generations  and  ages  learned  that  the  caterpillar  has  cer- 
tain cells  that  direct  the  actions  of  all  other  cells.  These 
are  called  nerve  centres.  He  has  also  found  that  if  he 
destroyed  these  the  other  cells  would  still  live  but  would 
not  be  able  to  direct  any  movements  of  the  body  of  the 


INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND  REFLEX  ACTION  351 

caterpillar.  After  having  made  that  discovery,  he  saw 
the  advantage  of  paralyzing  the  caterpillar  in  that  way, 
so  that  his  young  would  be  provided  with  fresh  food. 
But,  you  will  say,  how  can  the  wasp  know  or  learn  this 
method  of  partly  killing  the  caterpillar,  when  he  has 
never  seen  it  done,  or  ever  received  any  instructions. 
There  are  only  a  few  microscopic  spots  that  must  be 
punctured,  while  there  are  a  million  other  places  to  punc- 
ture, where  it  would  not  be  effective.  How  can  he  know 
the  right  spot,  not  having  ever  seen  a  caterpillar  before? 
The  answer  is  very  simple.  The  builders  of  this  flying 
structure,  the  wasp,  have  provided  it  with  tools,  and  to 
think  that  they  would  not  know  how  to  use  them  would 
be  a  foolish  idea.  The  cells  that  built  the  wasp  had  the 
experience  of  ages  fixed  in  their  memory.  They  had 
been  practising  the  dagger  thrusts  while  in  other  wasps 
before  him,  for  centuries.  Every  movement  and  thrust 
of  the  dagger  on  previous  occasions  would  be  fresh  in 
their  memory.  The  wasp  is  but  a  flying  machine  with 
tools  to  affect  these  several  actions.  The  cells  have  made 
the  machine  and  the  tools  and  they  know  how  to  use 
them. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  pitcher-plant  of  Borneo,  that 
has  trouble  with  a  species  of  ape  called  the  lemur  who 
steals  the  insects  from  his  trap.  This  plant,  who  is  of 
an  inventive  turn  of  mind  anyway,  soon  discovered  or 
conceived  some  scheme  to  prevent  the  ape's  stealing  the 
insects  from  its  trap.  The  fly  trap  itself  is  a  wonderful 
invention.  It  is  a  most  perfect  and  scientific  arrangement 
to  effect  a  certain  purpose ;  however,  you  know  that  the 
plant  itself  could  not  build  these  things,  any  more  than 
a  house  could  build  an  addition  to  itself. 

The  builders  and  occupants  must  be  given  credit  for 
the  means  and  the  intelligence  evidenced  by  these  in- 


352     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

ventions  and  productions.  What  difference  is  there  be- 
tween the  mechanical  skill  required  to  build  a  heart  with 
which  to  pump  or  push  the  blood  through  the  system,  and 
that  required  to  build  the  fly-trap.  It  was  a  bright  idea 
of  the  plant  to  provide  these  prickles,  in  order  to  stop  the 
ape  from  stealing  his  property.  It  is,  however,  equally 
intelligent  to  invent  the  eye,  more  so  than  the  specs  and 
telescope  invented  by  man  to  aid  his  instrument  in  seeing 
smaller  or  larger  objects  for  which  it  was  not  made.  The 
cell  builds  instruments  we  call  ears,  with  which  to  catch 
the  vibrations  of  the  air;  man  builds  ear  trumpets  to  aid 
him  in  hearing  better.  All  these  are  instruments  and 
productions  of  art,  and  can  only  be  produced  by  a  mind 
or  intellect.  The  cause  must  be  mind  or  intellect,  which 
can  direct  and  mould  the  blind  forces  of  nature  into  those 
things  desired  by  the  builder. 

The  purpose  of  this  book  is  not  to  explain  the  origin  of 
the  cell  and  its  high  organization  and  what  the  mind  and 
intellect  in  the  cell  really  are.  In  this  discussion  it  makes 
no  difference  what  you  call  this  quality  or  ability  to  mould 
and  direct  crude  matter  and  blind  natural  forces.  Call 
it  soul,  vital  force,  nature,  God  or  intellect,  it  makes  no 
difference,  for  it  is  in  any  case  the  cause  of  all  living  con- 
structions. In  man  it  is  called  intellect;  so  we  may  as 
well  call  it  that.  As  in  the  cell,  it  is  the  intellect  in  man 
that  is  the  cause  of  his  structures,  like  houses,  railroads 
and  ships.  What  difference  can  there  be  in  the  acts  of 
the  cell  making  a  crystalline  lens  for  the  eye  and  the  act 
of  man  making  lenses?  What  difference  can  there  be  in 
the  act  of  the  cells  in  the  chicken  gizzard,  using  stones 
to  grind  grain,  and  the  analogous  act  of  man  grinding 
grain  with  mill  stones?  The  instruments  used  and  the 
purpose  are  the  same. 

Is  there  any  difference  between  the  industry  of  the  cell 


INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND  IlEFLEX  ACTION  353 

which  makes  the  body  or  organs  or  instruments  of  the 
body,  and  the  human  industry  which  makes  a  building 
and  machines,  similar  but  on  a  larger  scale?  We  have 
called  the  intelligence  of  animals  instinct,  but,  as  I  have 
stated  before,  a  number  of  scientists  of  late  have  admitted 
that  the  instinctive  acts  of  animals  are  intelligent  acts. 

The  cell  that  directs  the  involuntary  actions  of  organs 
inside  of  the  body  sometimes  directs  the  voluntary  acts 
outside  of  the  body.  In  the  work  of  the  cell  as  well  as 
in  the  work  of  man,  there  is  a  relation  of  the  parts  to  the 
whole  and  also  a  method  by  which  the  part  or  the  whole 
is  to  be  used  in  a  machine  or  structure  made  by  man,  as 
well  as  in  a  machine  or  structure  made  by  the  cell.  Like 
a  plant  or  animal,  each  part  has  a  meaning  or  place  in  the 
general  idea  or  scheme  of  the  whole  machine  or  struc- 
ture. Every  part  has  its  place  in  the  whole  machine. 

The  periscope  is  an  instrument  with  which  the  sub- 
marine can  see.  We  may  liken  it  to  the  human  eye. 
These  are,  however,  mere  instruments  back  of  the  peri- 
scope, while  back  of  the  eyes  are  the  individuals  whose 
intellect  must  judge  and  decide  and  direct  the  actions  of 
the  individual,  be  it  man  or  submarine.  In  each  case  the 
purpose  of  the  instrument  is  the  same.  The  eye  could 
see  nothing  without  the  cells  in  the  brain  to  receive  and 
interpret  the  pictures  transmitted.  Nor  could  the  peri- 
scope see  anything  without  man,  its  builder,  who  is  there 
to  receive  and  interpret.  All  the  organs  of  our  body  are 
instruments  put  together  like  a  machine  for  a  purpose, 
each  part  made  to  fit  in  and  work  in  harmony  with  every 
other  part.  You  see  the  cell,  like  man,  is  a  skilled  artist 
that  pre-arranges  each  and  every  part  of  the  whole.  We 
see  with  our  eyes  how  the  cell  attends  to  all  the  details 
of  maintaining  the  body  in  proper  repair.  We  know  that 
to  do  so  requires  about  the  same  skill  and  intellect  as  to 


354     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

build  it.  The  skilled  engineer  that  is  able  to  run  and  keep 
his  locomotive  in  proper  repair  is  considered  just  as  in- 
telligent as  the  builder.  His  intellect  must  comprehend 
and  understand  the  relation  of  each  part  of  the  machine 
to  the  whole. .  A  sure  and  certain  proof  that  cells  are 
able  to  judge,  remember,  reason  and  direct,  is  that  they 
do  so  in  our  head. 

It  is  not  the  man  who  reasons,  it  is  the  cells  occupied 
with  that  business  in  his  head.  If  a  wound  in  the  arm 
destroys  a  main  artery  carrying  blood  to  the  hand,  a  new 
artery  will  be  constructed  around  the  wound,  of  a  suffi- 
cient size  to  carry  the  necessary  and  usual  amount  of 
blood  to  the  hand.  How  can  natural  selection  have  any- 
thing to  do  with  these  new  actions?  The  ability  to  do 
this  requires  the  best  skill  and  judgment.  Who  deter- 
mines the  circumference  and  size  of  that  artery?  In  these 
acts  there  must  be  some  one  who  decided  on  what  should 
be  done  in  each  particular  case.  The  power  to  do  this 
can  be  accounted  for,  by  their  general  knowledge  of  arter- 
ies gained  from  ages  of  experience,  and  also  the  experi- 
ence had  in  the  construction  of  the  body  to  start  with, 
and  in  its  maintenance.  From  this  experience  we  must 
presume  they  know  how  to  make  a  new  artery  at  any 
time  and  in  any  place.  The  builders  of  any  structure 
would  necessarily  possess  the  knowledge  of  how  to  re- 
pair any  particular  part  of  it.  It  would  not  be  as  good 
as  the  original  structure,  and  would  not  look  as  well,  but 
it  might  serve  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  intended  for 
a  long  time.  It  is  just  the  same  with  repaired  organisms. 
Nerves  are  strings  or  bundles  of  cells  who  have  a  certain 
line  of  work  to  perform,  in  receiving  impressions  and 
giving  orders.  By  use  they  also  become  expert,  as  we  see 
in  the  nerve  cells  of  the  fingers  of  the  blind,  who  can  read 
by  feeling.  In  the  same  manner  muscles  are  strings  and 


INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND   REFLEX  ACTION  355 

bundles  of  cells  that  have  only  a  special  work  to  do  and 
by  use  they  become  expert  and  stronger. 

This  ability  to  adapt  itself  to  what  is  required  in  any 
particular  case  that  may  arise,  shows  that  there  is  some 
being  ready  to  do  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time  in  any 
and  all  emergencies.  It  has  the  ability  to  do  a  thing  that 
never  was  done  before.  I  have  an  illustration  of  that  now 
on  my  farm.  We  have  some  Angora  goats ;  three  of  them 
have  walked  on  their  knees  for  a  couple  of  years.  I  ex- 
amined their  knees  a  few  times  and  found  that  a  callous 
substance,  just  like  hoofs,  has  formed  on  their  knees. 
They  get  diseased  feet  from  walking  on  the  soft  wet 
ground,  and  for  that  reason  walk  on  their  knees.  In  order 
to  continue  walking  on  their  knees,  something  must  be 
provided  for  the  knees  to  prevent  the  wearing  through 
of  the  skin,  flesh  and  knee  cap.  In  order  to  prevent  this, 
hoofs  are  provided  in  a  place  where  they  never  were  be- 
fore. In  this  case  and  all  similar  cases,  there  is  no  chance 
for  natural  selection  to  get  in  its  work  nor  have  anything 
to  do  with  it. 

I  can  remember  one  of  my  tenants  who  had  a  pig  one 
summer  with  a  broken  back  or  paralyzed  hind  legs,  who 
propelled  himself  over  the  ground  by  dragging  his  body 
by  his  fore  legs.  This  pig  developed  wonderful  power  in 
his  limbs,  and  also  developed  a  horny  scale-like  skin  on 
the  center  part  of  his  ham  where  it  was  in  continuous 
rubbing  contact  with  the  earth,  as  it  was  dragged  along. 
He  lived  and  grew  just  like  the  others.  This  power  to 
adjust  itself  to  conditions  is  the  power  to  change  or  con- 
struct parts  different  from  whatever  had  been  before. 
This  shows  clearly  that  the  cells  conceive  ideas  of  what 
should  be  done,  and  some  ideas  are  better  than  others, 
depending  on  what  may  happen  to  be  required  in  the 


356    CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

particular  circumstances.  In  addition  to  this  we  find 
them  trying  out  new  and  further  experiments. 

The  cells  of  the  body  of  any  animal  adopt  such  colors 
as  are  most  beneficial  to  it,  under  the  particular  circum- 
stances and  environments  which  it  has  to  contend  with. 
If  no  color  is  necessary,  none  is  provided,  as  we  can  see 
in  the  white  skin  of  the  human  race  in  the  North.  This 
matter  of  deciding  color,  length  of  hair,  or  repairing 
broken  parts,  is  an  intellectual  quality,  as  it  will  always 
depend  on  the  intellect  of  the  party  who  does  it,  whether 
or  not  it  will  come  up  to  the  requirements.  We  find  that 
those  animals  and  races  of  men  with  the  best  mental  fac- 
ulties will  invent  and  try  new  and  better  ideas ;  they  will 
always  be  equal  to  any  emergency,  when  any  contingency 
arises  that  must  be  provided  for.  The  men  with  the  best 
intellect  will  be  the  most  likely  to  be  able  to  do  the  right 
thing  at  the  right  time. 

The  cause  of  all  living  things  is  the  intellect  of  the  cell. 
Upon  this  fact  we  can  proceed  to  discover  other  facts 
which  may  some  day  disclose  the  cause  of  intellect  in  the 
cell.  We  may  some  day  by  a  more  powerful  microscope 
be  able  to  see  and  understand  all  the  different  organs  and 
parts  of  the  cells,  may  be  able  to  even  see  the  actions  of 
the  primordial  cell  or  being  that  organizes  and  builds  the 
cells.  But  before  the  unknown,  we  can  only  guess. 

A  writer  who  believes  that  some  God  makes  the  bee, 
states,  "Hardly  are  all  the  parts  of  the  young  bee  dry, 
when  it  knows  all  it  will  have  to  do  during  the  rest  of  its 
life.  Let  us  not  be  astonished  that  it  is  so  well  instructed. 
It  had  been  so  by  Him  who  formed  it." 

Now  you  see  this  expression  is  literally  true.  The  bee 
can  only  get  his  instructions  from  those  who  formed  him. 
As  the  entire  scientific  world  now  knows  that  the  cell 
forms  the  bee.  it  should  clear  up  the  whole  mystery  of 


INSTINCTIVE,  EMOTIONAL  AND  REFLEX  ACTION  357 

instinctive  actions.  Man  that  forms  the  ship  and  sub- 
marine must  also  instruct  the  submarine.  It  could  not 
be  otherwise.  If  the  builder  knows  how  to  produce  ma- 
chines for  a  certain  purpose,  he  will  also  know  how  to 
use  them  and  instruct  others  how  to  use  them.  The  plant 
which  catches  insects  makes  a  gastric  juice  which  digests 
and  dissolves  them.  These  actions  are  not  different  from 
those  of  man  catching  animals  and  preparing  them.  The 
object  and  purpose  of  the  actions  are  the  same. 

The  plant  cells  that  make  seed  pods  which  look  like 
worms  or  caterpillars,  in  order  to  fool  the  birds  into  carry- 
ing them  around  and  scattering  the  seeds,  show  the  same 
intelligence  as  man  in  his  attempts  to  fool  other  people. 
The  plant  that  builds  fortifications  some  distance  from 
itself,  of  thorns,  to  keep  animals  away,  does  so  with  an 
intelligent  purpose,  just  as  man  has.  However,  in  the 
case  of  plants,  it  is  the  cells  that  build  tne  plant  -and  fur- 
nish the  intelligence. 

The  books  are  full  of  attempts  to  distinguish  between 
instinct,  reflex  action  and  reason,  but  they  all  fail.  The 
fact  is,  they  are  all  intelligent  acts.  There  is  no  distinc- 
tion. The  old  popular  phraseology,  that  animals  act  only 
from  instinct  and  that  man  alone  acts  from  reason,  is  ab- 
surd and  without  foundation. 

The  cell  builds  all  animals  and  plants  and  directs  the 
action  of  all.  They  are  all  intelligent  acts.  The  insec- 
tivorous plants  decoy  and  catch  insects  in  large  numbers. 
The  single  cell  pursues  and  captures  other  cells  and  de- 
vours them.  The  actions  are  deliberate  and  purposive, 
'just  as  in  insects,  animals  and  man;  there  is  no  distinc- 
tion. The  young  swallow  can  fly  in  its  first  attempt  be- 
cause in  the  memory  of  the  cells  that  made  him  and  oc- 
cupy and  guide  his  body,  there  is  stored  all  the  experi- 
ences of  past  generations  together  with  those  recently 


358     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

acquired  in  the  parents  from  which  it  came.  The  build- 
ers of  the  machine  know  how  to  operate  it.  There  can 
be  no  more  mystery  about  the  cause  of  instinctive  action 
than  there  is  about  the  cause  of  a  man's  running  a  boat 
or  a  machine  which  he  has  built. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION. 

Evolution  as  understood  by  some  is  the  cause  of  our 
existence.  Evolution,  however,  means  progress,  growth 
and  development.  By  others  it  is  understood  to  be  a 
cause  of  development  from  lower  organisms  to  a  higher. 
We  can  trace  the  evolution  and  progress  of  man  grad- 
ually from  the  savage  through  the  ages  of  stone,  bronze 
and  steel.  With  every  new  discovery  he  was  able  to  bet- 
ter his  condition  and  became  more  able  to  defend  himself 
against  the  elements  and  his  enemies. 

The  greatest  discovery  in  the  history  of  the  world,  as 
far  as  man  is  concerned,  was  the  discovery  of  the  club. 
From  that  instant  man  as  he  is  now  known  and  distin- 
guished from  other  animals,  was  produced.  It  was  the 
creation  and  birth  of  man.  Until  that  moment,  man  had 
been  at  the  mercy  of  the  tiger,  the  wolf,  and  the  bear  and 
other  animals.  At  that  moment  evolution  or  whatever 
you  wish  to  call  it  took  the  crown  from  the  lion  and 
placed  it  on  man.  At  that  moment  evolution  as  the  judge 
proclaimed  man  king  of  the  beasts.  From  that  time  man 
as  an  animal  began  to  develop  into  a  man.  In  order  to 
be  able  to  wield  the  club  effectually  he  had  to  stand  up- 
right and  he  soon  got  the  habit  of  walking  altogether  on 
his  hind  legs,  from  pure  necessity  of  having  to  carry  a 
weapon  so  as  to  be  ready  to  defend  himself  at  any  mo- 


CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  361 

ment.  The  crust  of  the  earth  discloses  to  us  a  continuous 
record  of  his  progress  since  in  the  use  of  implements  from 
those  made  of  wood,  bone,  clay,  stone  and  bronze,  up  to 
the  steel  and  electricity  of  today.  This  natural  progress 
is  called  evolution,  but  you  will  notice  that  the  cause  of 
discovery  and  invention  by  which  evolution  and  progress 
are  possible  must  be  through  the  intellect  of  someone. 
The  cause  of  the  first  act  of  discovering  or  x  defending 
himself  with  a  club  could  not  have  been  an  accident  or 
chance.  The  cause  was  the  intellect  and  mind  of  the  in- 
dividual who  conceived  the  idea.  The  use  of  a  club  in 
self-defense  by  primeval  man  in  a  fight  with  his  enemies 
required  the  same  will  and  skill  as  is  required  by  him 
today  in  defending  himself  either  with  a  club  or  with  the 
larger  weapons. 

The  club  is  a  wonderfully  effective  weapon  if  skillfully 
handled,  as  one  blow  on  the  head  will  put  man,  lion,  bear 
or  tiger  out  of  commission.  However,  it  would  have  to 
be  used  with  speed  and  intelligence.  The  idea  of  how 
and  when  and  where  to  use  it  would  have  to  be  fully  con- 
ceived in  the  mind  of  the  individual  before  any  effective 
use  of  it  could  be  made.  The  primary  cause  of  the  act 
was  and  must  have  been  the  idea  or  intellect.  The  next 
thing  necessary  was  the  means  with  which  to  execute 
the  idea.  This  individual  was  happily  in  possession  of  the 
means,  the  instruments  with  which  to  grasp  and  swing 
the  club.  The  hands  of  the  ape  family  are  wonderful 
instruments  for  grasping  and  for  that  reason  he  was  in 
possession  of  the  instruments  with  which  to  grasp  and 
handle  a  club.  In  his  case  all  that  was  necessary  was  the 
idea.  As  soon  as  the  mind  cells  in  his  head  conceived  the 
idea,  it  was  then  able  to  direct  the  actions  of  all  the  other 
millions  of  muscle  cells  who  would  have  to  do  the  work 
of  using  the  club. 


362     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

The  legs  of  other  animals  are  not  provided  with  such 
grasping  apparatus  and  for  that  reason,  even  if  they 
should  have  conceived  the  idea  of  defending  themselves 
with  a  club,  the  idea  could  not  have  been  executed.  The 
cell  minds  had  produced  these  hands  for  the  purpose  of 
grasping  limbs  of  trees  in  order  to  escape  from  other 
animals,  but  the  hands  of  the  ape  and  monkey  tribe,  or 
tree  climbers,  turned  out  to  be  very  handy  instruments 
with  which  to  perform  all  kinds  of  work.  Since  the  dis- 
covery of  the  club  one  idea  has  led  to  another  and  count- 
less inventions  have  been  conceived  by  the  mind  of  man, 
leading  up  to  such  acts  as  sewing,  weaving,  writing, 
painting,  etc.  We  know  that  today  all  inventions  and 
discoveries  must  come  about  by  reason  of  the  idea  first 
conceived  by  the  mind,  and  no  actions  of  any  kind 
directed  towards  a  purpose  can  take  place  unless  first 
conceived  by  the  mind  of  someone.  Therefore,  it  seems 
clear  that  the  cause  of  evolution,  progress,  and  develop- 
ment is  intellect  in  the  cells  who  are  the  real  directors 
of  all  acts,  and  not  variation,  environment,  natural  selec- 
tion or  survival  of  the  fittest.  These  are  mere  phrases 
and  combinations  of  words  describing  mere  incidents  and 
conditions  that  take  place  in  the  evolution  of  life.  Take 
for  instance  beneficial  variations.  It  is  claimed  that  there 
are  no  two  individuals  just  alike,  that  they  all  vary  in 
some  respect;  that  the  one  that  by  chance  happens  to  be 
born  with  some  variation  that  is  beneficial  to  him  will 
win  out  in  the  struggle  for  existence  and  be  able  to  per- 
petuate his  kind.  Now  this  is  generally  true,  but  it  is 
simply  an  incident.  It  does  not  build  the  individuals  that 
do  the  struggling  nor  does  it  produce  the  variations.  For 
instance,  the  gorilla  is  provided  with  a  callous  covering 
on  the  knuckles  of  his  hands.  It  is  argued  that  this  cal- 
lous covering  is  a  beneficial  variation  to  him  because 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  363 

when  he  walks  over  the  ground  he  walks  partly  on  his 
knuckles  and  any  gorilla  that  was  not  provided  with  cal- 
loused knuckles  would  not  be  able  to  get  over  the  ground 
by  aiding  himself  in  this  manner  with  his  hands;  so  in 
this  way,  those  gorillas  with  a  callous  covering  over  the 
knuckles  would  have  an  advantage  over  those  without 
such  a  covering  and  would  be  preserved ;  in  that  way  the 
callous  was  produced  on  the  knuckles  of  the  gorilla.  Now 
we  know  after  a  full  investigation  that  this  kind  of  rea- 
soning is  without  foundation  because  the  cells  that  build 
the  gorilla  will  provide  this  callous  covering  at  any  time, 
if  necessary,  and  will  also  provide  it  at  almost  any  place 
on  the  body.  If  the  gorilla  persists  in  rubbing  his 
knuckles  on  the  ground,  they  will  have  to  be  covered 
with  something  or  else  they  will  be  destroyed  and  for 
that  reason  the  callous  develops  on  his  knuckles. 

Now  while  it  is  true  that  these  beneficial  variations  like 
callous  on  the  hands  and  knuckles  might  under  certain 
circumstances  be  the  means  or  cause  of  saving  the  life  of 
the  individual,  still  it  must  be  clear  that  it  does  not  in 
any  way  explain  the  cause  of  the  callous,  nor  does  the 
ground  or  environment  produce  these  beneficial  varia- 
tions, as  some  evolutionists  would  have  it.  The  cells  are 
builders ;  they  are  expert  chemists,  artists,  sculptors  and 
mathematicians  and  produce  everything  that  we  use  for 
food  and  clothes  and  a  great  number  of  things  that  we 
use  for  building  material.  They  produce  all  our  starches, 
sugar,  acids,  pigments,  perfumes,  wood,  cork,  fibers  and 
so  on,  things  too  numerous  to  mention.  If  the  knuckles 
have  to  be  rubbed  against  the  ground,  they  will  have  to 
be  provided  with  a  covering  of  such  strength  and  dura- 
bility as  will  stand  the  wear  and  tear  arising  from  a  con- 
tinual rubbing  contact  with  the  ground.  The  ordinary 
hair  and  skin  will  not  last  long.  Something  tough  and 


364  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

hard  must  be  provided.  We  do  not  know  how  or  from 
what  the  cells  are  able  to  build  this  horny,  callous  pro- 
tection over  the  skin  when  necessary,  but  we  know  they 
do  it.  The  evolutionists  would  make  us  believe  that  the 
callous  is  caused  by  the  ground  or  by  accidental  chance 
variations,  but  it  certainly  is  very  clear  that  nothing  of 
the  kind  has  ever  happened  or  can  happen.  The  callous 
is  a  scientific  production  for  a  purpose,  produced  at  the 
right  time  and  at  the  right  place.  It  was  not  produced 
until  wanted  nor  was  it  produced  on  a  place  where  it  was 
not  necessary. 

The  chemical  knowledge  and  skill  required  to  produce 
the  callous  show  conscious  intelligence,  of  a  high  order. 
Take  the  simplest  single  cell  like  the  foraminifer,  which 
makes  for  itself  a  shell  of  limestone  in  which  it  lives.  It 
leads  a  single  independent  life  in  the  ocean  and  also 
associates  in  colonies.  This  animal  is  sometimes  referred 
to  as  merely  living  matter.  However,  when  this  little 
animal  discovered  the  secret  of  how  to  cover  its  naked 
body  with  a  hard  shell,  it  had  the  best  of  those  other 
single  cells  in  the  struggle  for  existence  and  was  able  to 
exist  in  deeper  water  and  resist  the  attacks  of  other  cells. 
It  was  a  great  discovery  and  the  chalk  cliffs  of  England 
stand  today  as  a  perpetual  monument  to  their  effort  and 
intellect.  It  required  just  as  much  intellect  to  select  the 
microscopic  lime  from  the  water  and  mix  it  with  the 
proper  ingredients  to  make  a  strong  shell  and  then  form 
it  into  the  perfect  and  proper  shape,  as  it  does  to  mix 
sand  and  cement  into  a  mixture  for  the  foundation  of  a 
house.  Consider  again  the  skill  of  the  cells  that  can  make 
bone  or  horns  and  can  cut  and  destroy  bone  and  horn 
whenever  it  is  necessary;  for  instance  in  the  case  of  a 
broken  bone,  the  splinters  will  always  be  liquified  and 
carried  away.  Even  ivory  pegs,  if  driven  into  bone,  will 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  365 

be  torn  down  and  carried  away  by  the  cell.  Children's 
teeth  in  t-he  same  manner  are  taken  apart  as  microscopic 
particles  and  carried  off,  so  that  new  ones  can  be  formed 
in  their  places  as  permanent  teeth. 

Take  another  instance  of  the  wonderful  architectural 
skill  of  the  cell  in  building  the  antlers  of  the  deer  and  elk. 
The  antlers  are  built  up  in  the  spring  and  summer  and 
fall  off  again  in  the  fall  after  they  have  been  used  and  are 
not  necessary  any  more  for  the  purpose  for  which  they 
were  built.  They  are  built  for  only  one  purpose  and  that 
is  as  a  weapon  with  which  to  fight  other  male  deer.  While 
these  antlers  are  growing,  they  are  covered  with  a  deli- 
cate skin  called  velvet,  and  through  this  velvet  the  blood 
circulates,  carrying  the  multitude  of  working  cells  and 
the  building  material  of  which  the  antlers  are  made.  The 
cells  work  together  and  build  up  the  snags,  beams  and 
tynes  that  make  up  the  antler.  Like  a  hive  of  a  million 
busy  bees  or  skilled  workers,  they  work  beneath  the 
warm  velvet  all  spring  and  summer  to  form  those  enorm- 
ous weapons,  sometimes  five  or  six  feet  high.  In  the 
early  fall  the  cells  quit  work  and  retire  into  the  body. 
The  velvet  under  which  they  had  worked  falls  like  the 
autumn  leaves  and  the  hard  bony  weapons  are  exposed 
ready  for  battle.  As  soon  as  the  antlers  are  ready  the 
male  deer  is  also  ready  to  challenge  another  male  deer  to 
mortal  combat  and  they  fight  for  the  possession  of  the 
female,  who  stands  by  ready  to  take  the  victor  as  her  mate. 
As  soon  as  the  loves  and  battles  are  over  and  the  mating 
is  completed,  the  antlers  are  no  longer  of  any  use  and 
they  are  shed.  That  is  to  say,  they  are  cut  off  near  the 
skull  by  those  who  formed  them — the  cells. 

The  deer  is  a  nation  of  a  billion  or  more  individual 
cells  who  work  together  in  harmony  for  one  purpose,  for 
one  idea,  the  welfare  of  all,  just  as  does  the  German  or  the 


366     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

English  Empire,  whose  purpose  is  to  perpetuate  and 
maintain  its  existence  on  this  planet.  To  effect  that  pur- 
pose these  antlers  or  fighting  machines  must  be  made. 
What  difference  can  you  possibly  perceive  in  the  in- 
tellectual capacity  or  foresight  in  the  organizing,  co- 
operating and  building  of  implements  of  war  by  the 
nations  of  the  world  and  the  same  act  by  the  cell  nations 
we  call  the  deer  and  elk.  Think  of  the  gathering,  grind- 
ing and  mixing  of  the  minerals  required  to  produce  the 
material  with  which  to  build  the  antlers  on  the  deer! 
Think  of  the  intellect  required  to  guide  and  direct  the 
details  of  the  actions  of  those  millions  of  workers !  All 
this  work  of  building  the  antlers  goes  on  without  any 
trouble  or  bother  to  the  cells  connected  with  the  senses 
or  consciousness  of  the  deer,  as  they  must  be  occupied 
with  other  and  more  important  work,  such  as  receiving 
information  as  to  the  approach  of  enemies  and  the  place 
to  find  food  and  building  material  for  the  workers  inside. 

The  white  cells  of  our  bodies,  who  are  called  the  gen- 
eral inspectors  and  move  through  our  bodies  from  one 
place  to  the  other  looking  for  enemies  that  may  have  got 
into  the  body  in  some  way,  such  as  bacteria,  which  they 
kill  and  destroy,  show  the  same  watchful  care  and  loyalty 
as  any  human  beings.  The  million  of  workers,  who  built 
up  the  antlers  with  only  one  purpose  in  view  and  then 
dropped  them  as  soon  as  the  fight  was  over,  show  the 
same  intellect  as  that  which  guides  and  directs  the  actions 
of  the  German  Emperor. 

Chemistry  and  mechanics  must  be  understood  in  order 
to  produce  the  antlers.  The  chemist  must  first  know 
what  the  effects  will  be  of  mixing  certain  substances  in 
his  crucible  and  applying  the  heat  before  he  can  go  ahead 
and  produce  what  he  wants.  Next  he  must  know  what 
he  wants  before  he  begins  to  build,  if  not,  he  could  not 


CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION  367 

possibly  produce  an  instrument  for  any  particular  pur- 
pose. You  may  employ  a  man  to  build  a  house  or  ma- 
chine and  you  furnish  him  with  lumber,  iron,  brass, 
cement,  clay  and  tools,  but  if  he  has  not  the  knowledge 
to  build  what  is  wanted,  if  he  has  not  a  mental  picture  of 
the  structure  and  a  record  of  details  of  the  work  stored 
away  in  his  memory,  he  can  produce  nothing.  The  cells 
that  build  the  antlers  likewise  must  understand  their 
business.  Men  gather  the  iron,  wood  and  other  material 
to  build  cannons ;  the  cells  gather  lime,  minerals  and 
other  materials  to  build  the  antlers.  Both  work  for  a 
purpose  and  the  constructive  skill  required  in  the  case  of 
one  is  exactly  as  necessary  in  the  other.  If  man  is  an 
intelligent  being  the  cell  must  be,  too.  A  brain  is  not 
necessary  to  intelligence.  The  star  fish,  polyps  and 
several  others  have  no  brains,  still  when  their  actions 
are  examined,  they  show  just  as  much  intelligence  in  their 
place  in  life  as  any  other  animal.  Their  actions,  how- 
ever, cannot  be  directed  with  the  speed  of  those  who  have 
a  brain,  or  a  common  center  to  direct  the  actions  of  all. 
A  species  of  single  cell  that  lives  in  the  sea  called  deflu- 
gia,  picks  up  microscopic  grains  of  sand  from  the  bottom, 
cements  the  grains  together  and  in  this  way  builds  around 
himself  a  hard  covering  or  armor  we  call  a  shell.  In  the 
armor  the  creature  makes  holes  through  which  he  sticks 
out  his  hands  or  feet  and  paddles  himself  through  the 
water  in  search  for  food.  This  cell,  as  far  as  we  are  able 
to  discover  and  understand  the  matter,  has  neither  brain 
nor  a  nervous  system,  but  still  has  a  mind  and  intellect 
that  directs  his  actions,  similar  to  ours.  Another  kind  of 
cell  called  the  Arcella  builds  for  itself  a  covering  of  a 
different  material ;  and  the  method  of  building  this  coat 
or  shell,  which  resembles  in  texture  the  coat  or  wing 
covers  of  insects,  is  not  understood  by  man's  limited  in- 


368     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

telligence.  Another  species  called  diatones  build  around 
themselves  a  covering  like  transparent  flint,  and  are  able 
to  produce  styles  and  patterns  of  great  complexity  and 
beauty.  They  imitate  the  designs  produced  by  the  natu- 
ral forces  in  matter  called  crystallization.  Man  also  does 
the  same  thing.  In  what  manner  do  the  actions  of  the 
cell  building  itself  a  protecting  coat  and  going  in  search 
of  food,  differ  from  those  of  man  when  he  also  provides 
himself  with  clothes  and  goes  in  search  of  food.  Another 
species  of  single  cell  living  in  the  ocean  has  not  only 
provided  himself  with  a  covering  hard  as  flint  and  trans- 
parent as.  glass,  but  also  with  search  lights.  It  is  called 
the  noctiluca,  Fig.  46.  Mr.  Schute  in  his  book  on  Evolu- 
tion describes  it  as  follows  : 


FIG.  46. — Noctiluca  miliaris.     Dorsal  view. — SCHUTE. 

"This  little  one-celled  animal  has  the  power,  through 
its  special  chemical  activities,  of  manufacturing  and  mak- 
ing light.  It  is  through  the  agency  of  myriads  of  these 
little  creatures  that  the  diffuse  luminosity  of  some  seas  is 
produced  and  can  be  observed  at  night.  If  the  jar  be 
placed  in  the  dark  and  agitated  in  the  slightest  degree, 
there  is  an  instantaneous  display  of  light  which  is  of  a 
beautiful  greenish  tint  and  is  so  vivid  that  it  can  be  ob- 
served in  ordinary  lamplight.  This  phosphorescence  is 
only  of  one  instant's  duration  and  a  short  rest  is  necessary 
for  each  renewal."  The  special  locality  of  the  searchlights 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  369 

has  been  found  to  be  in  the  outside  transparent  coat  of 
flint  covering  the  body  of  the  cell.  Can  you  say  that  a 
being  who  can  provide  himself  with  an  armor  of  trans- 
parent flint  studded  with  flash  lights,  does  not  possesss 
intelligence,  just  as  man  does?  The  same  covering  could 
also  be  produced  by  the  most  highly  civilized  man  for  his 
use  and  defense,  but  not  any  better. 

Coming  back  again  now  to  the  theories  of  the  evolu- 
tionist, such  as  natural  selection  and  the  survival  of  the 
fittest  producing  the  different  structures  in  life,  we  shall 
again  consider  some  of  them.  They  say  that  any  acci- 
dental and  beneficial  variation  will  help  the  animal  in  his 
struggle  for  existence  and  the  variation  will  be  transmit- 
ted by  inheritance,  as  the  creature  with  such  beneficial 
variation  will  have  an  advantage  over  his  competitor  in 
the  struggle  for  existence  and  will  be  able  to  live  and  per- 
petuate his  kind.  But  the  trouble  about  this  theory  is 
that  the  variations  would  not  be  of  any  benefit  until  fully 
developed ;  on  the  contrary,  they  would  be  a  burden  and  a 
hindrance  to  the  individual  in  his  struggle  for  existence. 
Take  as  an  illustration  the  pockets  of  the  pocket  gopher. 
The  gopher  uses  the  pockets  to  carry  grass  to  its  store 
house  in  the  ground.  He  has  a  big  pocket  on  each  side 
of  his  head  and  these  pockets  he  stuffs  full  of  leaves  and 
grass.  In  this  way  he  can  transport  clean  and  fresh  food 
to  his  underground  warehouse  with  great  ease  and  con- 
venience and  without  dragging  his  food  over  wet  and 
muddy  ground ;  but  until  these  pockets  were  completely 
formed,  they  could  not  have  been  of  any  benefit  to  the 
animal.  It  must  be  perfectly  clear  that  these  pockets  on 
the  pocket  gopher  could  never  have  been  formed  by  slight 
accidental  variation.  Take  another  illustration,  of  the 
gizzards  of  birds  living  on  fish  and  meat ;  we  find  that 
while  so  doing,  they  have  practically  no  gizzards  and  eat 


370     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

no  gravel  with  which  to  grind  their  food,  but  if  you 
change  their  diet  to  hard  food,  which  requires  grinding, 
they  will  also  eat  gravel  and  the  stomach  will  gradually 
change  into  the  ordinary  gizzard. 

What  do  all  these  things  show?  Simply  this, — that  the 
individuals  in  charge  have  not  only  sense  enough  to  pro- 
duce a  particular  kind  of  machine,  but  when  it  is  neces- 
sary they  know  how  to  change  it  in  such  manner  as 
circumstances  may  require  and  that  nothing  takes  place 
by  chance.  It  is  very  likely  that  some  day  man  will  be  a 
toothless  and  hairless  animal.  Things  are  tending  that 
way  very  rapidly. 

The  following  from  my  daily  paper  I  believe  tells  the 
truth :  "The  reason  man  has  so  much  trouble  with  his 
teeth  is  that  nature  has  concluded  teeth  are  an  extrav- 
agance for  human  beings  and  she  is  taking  them  away 
from  us.  This  is  the  theory  of  Dr.  Lloyd  Marix,  a  Lon- 
don physician,  who  believes  that  man  will  eventually 
become  as  toothless  as  a  baby  and  be  glad  of  it.  When 
man  cracked  nuts  and  bones  and  gnawed  roots,  to  say 
nothing  of  his  enemy's  jugular  vein,  he  had  little  or  no 
tooth  trouble.  His  jaw  was,  at  least,  a  third  bigger  and 
protruded  beyond  his  chin  and  even  his  nose.  The  teeth 
themselves  were  big,  hard  and  more  numerous.  But 
nature  has  given  man  of  today  a  bigger  body,  and  what 
is  still  more  costly  of  energy — a  bigger  brain.  She  has 
economized  where  she  could,  taking  toll  from  the  hair, 
teeth,  nails,  appendix,  of  anything  that  could  be  spared. 
A  hairless,  toothless  race  without  toe  or  finger  nails  will 
be  the  final  result,  according  to  Dr.  Marix.  The  gums 
will  probably  increase  in  height  and  act  as  a  brace  to  the 
lips  and  be  available  in  the  way  of  substitutes  for  teeth, 
as  organs  of  speech.  Absence  of  teeth  should  be  a  bless- 
ing because  by  that  time  man  is  certain  to  have  his  chew- 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  371 

ing,  and  doubtless  at  least  part  of  his  digesting  done  for 
him  by  machinery.  Dentists,  barbers  and  manicurists 
will  turn  to  more  productive  forms  of  labor  preceded 
probably  by  soldiers,  lawyers,  and  others  who  make  their 
living  on  human  misery." 

It  is  only  what  we  should  expect  when  we  remember 
that  an  animal  is  a  nation  or  colony  of  still  smaller  in- 
dividuals. If  we  begin  to  live  on  food  that  needs  no 
grinding,  teeth  will  be  useless  and  will  be  gradually  dis- 
carded. We,  as  a  nation  or  as  individuals,  would  do  the 
same  thing.  Nothing  will  be  produced  and  maintained 
except  what  is  necessary  and  for  a  purpose.  Take  for 
instance  the  case  of  bees  and  ants.  They  are  not  as  large 
as  man,  still  they  display  the  same  intelligence  in  refer- 
ence to  their  affairs  as  man.  Their  social  actions  and 
organizations  are  just  like  those  of  man  and  the  cells  that 
build  man.  The  history  of  the  gradual  social  evolution 
of  the  bee  is  the  same  as  that  of  man.  The  following 
from  a  newspaper  is  a  good  description  of  it : 

"The  bees  are  like  human  beings  in  this :  they  get  the 
habit  of  work  and  sometimes  they  continue  working  for  a 
little  while  even  after  work  becomes  unnecessary — as  you 
see  a  rich  old  man  still  working,  though  he  need  not  work, 
but  bees,  like  others,  are  spoiled  by  prosperity,  and  before 
long  all  of  them  lose  the  habit  of  working. 

Buchner,  the  German  scientist,  observed  that  near 
sugar  factories  in  the  Barbadoes,  the  bees  give  up  the 
troublesome  work  of  visiting  flowers.  They  soon  learn 
that  they  can  get  all  the  sugar  they  want  all  the  year 
round — which  is  what  the  sons  of  rich  men  learn  very 
easily.  In  warm  countries,  where  flowers  bloom  all  the 
year,  the  bees  give  up  the  storing  up  of  honey  for  the 
winter — they  forget  about  the  cold  and  rainy  days  and 
only  gather  enough  honey  and  pollen  for  each  day.  To 


372     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

make  such  bees  work,  it  is  necessary  systematically  to 
take  from  them  what  they  have  gathered.  Like  the 
workers  in  many  tropical  countries,  who  disappear  when 
they  have  enough  money  to  last  them  for  a  day,  the 
tropical  bee  loses  the  habit  of  labor. 

There  are  almost  5,000  varieties  of  wild  bees  and 
among  them  patient  study  would  undoubtedly  discover 
peculiarities  as  numerous  as  those  among  the  different 
kinds  of  human  beings.  You  may  even  find  among  the 
bees  primitive,  ignorant,  uncivilized  individuals,  corre- 
sponding with  the  Bushmen  of  the  desert  or  even  with 
the  cave  man  of  a  hundred  thousand  years  ago.  One 
little  wild  bee  called  the  Prosopis  you  may  see  flying 
about  in  the  bushes.  If  you  knew  bees  and  could  study 
these  they  would  seem  to  you  as  different  from  the  pros- 
perous bee  of  the  hive  as  a  half  naked  bush-woman  seems 
different  from  the  comfortable  lady  in  her  furs.  But  that 
little  wild  bee,  half  starved  and  ignorant,  is  the  ancestor 
of  all  the  civilized  bees.  And  what  is  more  important,  as 
the  scientists  point  out,  it  is  probably  to  her  that  we  owe 
nearly  all  our  flowers  and  fruit.  A  hundred  thousand 
varieties  of  plants  would  disappear  from  earth  if  the  bees 
did  not  visit  them,  carrying  the  pollen. 

"We  human  beings  would  understand  ourselves  better 
if  we  knew  more  about  the  insects  that  live  in  organized 
civilization  at  our  feet  or  in  the  air  above  us.  In  propor- 
tion to  their  power  the  bees  and  ants  are  infinitely  more 
highly  civilized  than  we  are.  They  are  as  far  above  us 
as  the  careful,  painstaking  worker  and  saver  is  above  the 
worthless  tramp  and  idler.  For  thousands  upon  thou- 
sands of  years  before  men  had  dreamed  of  civilization  or 
settled  in  great  communities,  the  bees  and  ants  were 
working  out  their  problems  of  co-operation,  organiza- 
tion, defense  and  attack.  Aristotle  wrote  about  the  bees 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  373 

and  their  civilization,  their  laws  and  their  habits,  more 
than  2000  years  ago.  With  scientific  exactness  and  from 
his  day  to  our  day  in  which  such  men  as  Darwin  and 
Buchner  have  studied  the  planning,  lawgiving  insect 
kingdom,  there  has  been  in  all  probability  no  change 
whatever  in  their  lives.  Long  before  man  had  cities  or 
villages,  the  bees  and  ants  had  their  great  nation.  Thou- 
sands of  years  ago  they  knew  all  that  they  know  now 
and  they  probably  know  now  all  that  they  ever  can  know. 
So,  at  least,  it  seems  to  us  bigger  creatures  who  study 
them.  They  are  our  superiors  in  proportion  to  their 
strength,  but  we  are  still  developing,  and  therein  lies  our 
hope." 

What  is  here  said  of  the  bees  and  ants,  of  their  high 
state  of  civilization,  organization  and  co-operation,  can 
also  be  said  of  the  cell,  who  builds  the  bees  and  ants.  For 
thousands  and  thousands  of  years  before  the  bees  and 
ants  and  man  had  dreamed  of  civilization  or  settled  in 
great  communities,  the  cells  were  working  out  their  prob- 
lems of  co-operation,  organization,  defense  and  attack. 
We  can  trace  the  gradual  social  evolution  and  progress  in 
the  cell,  the  bee  and  man.  I  do  not  see  that  the  size  of  the 
things  produced  can  have  anything  to  do  with  the  intelli- 
gence required  to  produce  them.  It  is  just  as  difficult  to 
design  and  make  a  good  watch  as  it  is  to  plan  and  build  a 
threshing  machine.  It  must  be  just  as  difficult  to  design 
and  arrange  a  structure  made  of  atoms,  molecules  or 
grains  of  sand  as  one  made  of  bars  of  iron,  stone  or  brick. 
It  is  now  well  known  that  the  cells  lining  the  stomach 
and  intestines  stick  out  their  hands  and  grab  those  par- 
ticles of  food  and  building  material  that  are  required. 
They  select  and  choose  what  is  wanted  and  leave  the  other 
alone.  As  the  food  and  other  material  is  selected,  it  is 
handed  on  to  the  lymph  cells,  who  carry  it  to  the  places 


374     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

where  it  is  needed.  Mr.  Binet  has  the  following  to  say 
about  this : 

"To  illustrate,  it  was  at  one  time  conceded  that  the 
phenomena  of  resorption  and  nutrition  were  explainable 
by  diffusion  and  endosmosis ;  Dutrochet,  upon  his  discov- 
ery of  endosmosis  imagined  even  that  he  had  discovered 
the  principle  of  life.  At  the  present  time  we  know  that 
the  walls  of  the  intestines  do  not  in  any  wise  act  like  the 
inanimate  membrane  used  in  experiments  in  endosmosis. 
They  are  covered  with  epithelial  cells,  each  of  which  is  an 
organism  endowed  with  complex  properties.  The  proto- 
plasm of  these  cells  lays  hold  of  the  food  by  an  act  of 
prehension  exactly  as  the  ciliate  Infusoria  and  other  uni- 
cellular organisms  do,  that  lead  an  independent  life.  In 
the  intestines  of  cold-blooded  animals,  the  cells  emit  pro- 
longations, which  seize  the  minute  drops  of  fatty  matter 
and  carry  them  into  the  protoplasm  of  the  cell,  convey 
them  thence  into  the  chylifactive  ducts.  There  is  still 
another  mode  of  absorption  of  fatty  matter,  met  with 
among  cold-blooded  as  well  as  warm-blooded  animals. 
The  lymphatic  cells  pass  out  from  the  adenoid  tissue, 
which  contains  them,  so  that  upon  arriving  at  the  surface 
of  the  intestines,  they  sieze  the  particles  of  fatty  matter 
there  present  and,  laden  with  their  prey,  make  their  way 
back  to  the  lymphatics." 

It  requires  just  as  much  skill  and  intelligence  to  select 
the  required  material  from  the  stomach  as  ordered  by  the 
cells  in  other  parts  of  your  body  as  it  does  to  give  the 
orders  for  the  material.  The  cells  in  the  stomach  must 
be  just  as  intelligent  as  the  cells  in  your  spine  or  head 
that  give  the  orders  for  material  with  which  to  build  hair 
or  the  callous  in  your  hand.  It  is  clear  that  when  the 
cells  begin  building  the  plant  or  animal  from  which  they 
came  they  must  have  in  their  mind  ideas  or  a  mental  pic- 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  375 

ture  of  what  they  are  about  to  do.  Not  only  must  they 
have  a  mental  picture  of  the  particular  structure  that  they 
start  out  to  build,  but  they  must  also  have  a  mental  pic- 
ture or  knowledge  stored  in  their  memory  of  how  they 
shall  go  about  to  accomplish  the  work. 

It  is,  however,  nothing  more  than  reasonable  to  expect 
that  they  should  know  how  to  do  this,  as  they  have  per- 
formed the  work  millions  of  times  before.  We  see  in 
our  body  that  the  white  cells  are  soldiers,  which  have  not 
been  stationed  at  any  certain  permanent  work  as  nerve 
cells,  muscles,  etc.,  have,  but  have  a  general  knowledge 
of  performing  almost  any  act  that  may  come  up  and  may 
be  required  as  necessary  to  the  welfare  and  existence  of 
the  body.  In  the  case  of  the  healing  of  a  fracture  of  a 
bone  or  a  wound,  some  will  take  the  job  of  building 
epithelial  cells ;  some  will  build  connective  tissues  and 
some  will  build  bone;  others  will  destroy  themselves  in 
their  effort  to  destroy  invading  hordes  of  dangerous 
enemies  like  germs  and  bacteria.  They  all  go  to  work 
immediately  in  case  of  a  bruise,  cut  or  broken  bone  with 
the  skill  and  knowledge  accumulated  in  the  past  ages  in 
their  memory,  each  at  his  job,  knowing  just  how  to  do 
any  or  all  of  the  work,  each  and  all  willing  to  do  any- 
thing that  may  be  necessary  to  affect  a  repair,  each  one 
working  in  harmony  with  the  other  in  such  manner  as 
not  to  interfere  with  the  work  of  the  other.  Thus  alone 
could  it  be  possible  for  them  to  fix  up  a  broken  leg  or 
other  bruised,  crushed  or  mutilated  organ. 

The  religion  of  the  cell  is  similar  to  that  of  the  Japan- 
ese. Patriotism  is  the  expression  of  his  religion.  The  mind 
of  the  cell  does  not  split  hairs  as  to  his  individual  rights 
or  the  rights  of  the  body  or  of  the  race.  So  far  as  he  is 
concerned  the  welfare  of  the  body  and  its  perpetuation  is 
the  whole  object  of  life.  The  body  is  the  object  to  live 


376     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

for  and  to  die  for.  The  cell  is  not  an  individualist.  He 
has  developed  both  moral  and  national  consciousness. 
He  is  not  interested  in  his  own  welfare,  except  in  so  far  as 
it  is  the  welfare  of  the  body.  He  is  in  a  similar  relation  to 
nature  as  the  bee  worker  is  to  the  hive,  himself  nothing, 
the  body  or  cell  community  everything. 

I  repeat,  the  religion  of  the  cell  is  similar  to  that  of  the 
Japanese  and  the  most  admired  quality  of  the  Japanese 
is  his  patriotism.  Mr.  Huxley  describes  the  sponge  as  a 
large  city  and  states :  "The  sponge  represents  a  kind  of 
sub-aqueous  city  where  the  people  are  arranged  about 
the  streets  and  roads  in  such  manner  that  each  can  easily 
appropriate  its  food  from  the  water  as  it  passes  along." 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  every  animal  or  plant  is  a  city  of 
some  sort,  sub-aqueous,  aerial  or  terrestrial  and  occupied 
by  the  cells  who  have  built  it.  Every  such  city  is  built 
on  a  plan  or  with  a  design  or  purpose  to  take  care  of  the 
millions  of  inhabitants  who  occupy  and  maintain  it.  These 
cities  or  abodes  when  examined  are  found  to  be  con- 
structed with  a  purpose  in  view  or  a  design  to  meet  a 
condition  or  existence  of  some  particular  kind.  They  are 
found  to  be  constructed  with  wonderful  skill  and  design, 
to  meet  the  most  severe  and  complicated  conditions  in 
life. 

Upon  close  investigation  it  is  found  that  the  cells  who 
build  the  city  we  call  the  sponge  are  just  as  intelligent 
as  the  cells  that  build  the  fish,  animal  or  man.  They 
understand  how  to  build  the  house  on  the  bottom  of  the 
sea  of  such  material,  lime  and  fiber,  that  the  other  animals 
cannot  make  any  use  of  it  and  so  will  not  eat  them.  They 
understand  how  to  cause  a  continuous  stream  of  water  to 
flow  through  their  protected  habitation,  and  in  this  stream 
of  water,  they  pick  up  their  food  and  other  building  ma- 
terial they  may  need.  The  young  sponge  starts  out  in 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  377 

life  as  a  single  cell  and  swims  around  in  the  ocean  for 
months  until  it  finds  a  mate,  then  they  settle  down  and 
commence  housekeeping  on  a  suitable  rocky  place  on  the 
bottom  of  the  sea,  and  there  they  begin  to  multiply  in 
numbers  and  build  an  enormous  colony  which  we  call  the 
sponge.  The  building  process,  however,  is  quite  slow,  as 
they  gather  the  food  and  building  material  from  the  sea 
water. 

The  sponge  building  cells  live  on  smaller  cells  usually 
called  bacteria  and  microbes.  These  smaller  cells  are  by 
no  means  less  intelligent  in  their  place  in  life  than  the 
larger  ones.  The  cells  that  know  how  to  make  their  own 
food  like  starch,  sugar  and  other  carbohydrates  are  gen- 
erally smaller  than  the  other  cells.  They  usually  make 
only  stationary  abodes  like  plants  and  trees.  It  seems, 
however,  that  upon  their  knowledge  of  how  to  make  food 
and  several  other  kinds  of  material  depends  the  existence 
of  all  the  others.  The  following  from  a  daily  paper  seems 
to  be  a  true  expression  of  the  situation :  "Few  things  in 
science  are  more  startling  than  the  realization  that  man's 
existence  depends  absolutely  on  tiny  vegetables  so  small 
that  they  can  only  be  seen  with  the  most  powerful  micro- 
scope. It  is  these  minute  growths  which  produce  the 
larger  vegetables  man  uses  for  food  and  were  it  not  for 
them  the  human  race  would  starve  to  death. 

"The  origin  of  life  may  be  a  disputed  matter,  but  the 
operation  of  life  is  unquestionably  due  to  microscopic 
forms  of  plant  life  which  we  call  bacteria.  There  have 
been  many  learned  definitions  of  the  differences  between 
plant  and  animal,  but  few  are  more  satisfactory  than  that 
which  declares  a  plant  to  be  an  organism  that  can  derive 
its  food  from  mineral  substances  and  an  animal  to  be  an 
organism  that  cannot." 

Did  you  ever  realize  that  the  cells  of  every  plant  or 


378     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

animal,  man  included,  must  keep  up  a  continual  fight  for 
existence?  Some  small  species  of  cells  like  the  diphtheria 
cells  or  lock-jaw  cells  fight  our  body  cells  with  poison. 
Their  poison  is  so  deadly  that  the  white  cells  or  soldiers 
of  our  bodies,  who  have  the  business  in  charge  of  de- 
stroying all  the  enemies  of  the  body,  are  compelled  to 
actually  fight  these  diphtheria  germs  at  a  distance  and 
apparently  also  with  poison.  The  following  from  a  reli- 
able medical  textbook  is  interesting : 

"Very  important  members  of  the  cell  community  are 
certain  colorless  cells,  the  white  blood  corpuscles  or  leu- 
cocytes, which  float  in  the  blood  stream  or  wander  in  the 
tissue  spaces.  These  cells  are  the  sanitary  inspectors, 
the  police  and  the  scavengers  of  the  community.  They 
can  be  seen  to  approach  intrusive  microbes,  inclose  them 
with  their  own  substance  and  destroy  them,  apparently 
by  digestion,  or  else  perish  themselves,  apparently  by 
poisoning.  On  account  of  this  function  of  ingesting 
microbes,  they  have  been  termed  phagocites.  The  skin, 
food  and  air  passages  swarm  with  bacteria  all  the  time 
and  only  now  and  then  do  they  enter  and  get  a  foothold. 
The  fact  that  microbes  of  disease  are  often  able  to  break 
down  the  defense  and  enter  the  tissue,  whereas  the  harm- 
less types  are  unable  to  do  so,  points  to  the  fact  that  the 
former  have  special  means  of  offense  and  have  adapted 
themselves  by  special  means  of  offense  and  defense. 

"Some  microbes  like  tetanus  and  diphtheria  elaborate 
a  poison  in  self  defense.  The  toxin  or  poison  enters  the 
blood  stream  at  the  small  area  affected  and  produces  the 
symptoms  of  poisoning.  Toxins  like  pepsin  and  trypsyn 
are  digestive  secretions. 

"It  appears  that  phagocites  and  possibly  other  cells  of 
the  body  secrete  substances  as  harmless  to  themselves  as 
pepsin  is  to  the  stomach  cells,  which  act  as  counter  toxin 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  379 

and  poison  the  microbes,  and  that  they  are  stimulated  to 
this  act  by  the  presence  of  the  microbes  and  their  toxins. 
Presumably  those  toxins  are  the  same  as  are  used  by 
phagocites  to  destroy  microbes  by  ingestion.  The  toxins 
of  all  microbes  are  not  alike  as  shown  by  different  symp- 
toms from  diphtheria  and  tetanus.  In  acute  diseases  such 
as  diphtheria  and  tetanus,  though  the  phagocites  crowd 
towards  the  infected  area  until  the  red  and  inflamed  tis- 
sue surrounding  it  is  full  of  them,  killed  or  paralyzed  by 
the  concentrated  toxins,  they  do  not  ingest  the  microbes, 
at  any  rate,  at  first.  If  unable  to  cope  with  the  invaders, 
the  sufferers  die,  but  in  case  of  recovery  they  gradually 
get  the  upper  hand  and  in  the  latter  stages  of  the  disease 
the  disintegrating  microbes  may  be  seen  within  them." 

A  most  wonderful  experiment  to  show  the  extraordi- 
narily keen  sense  of  smell  possessed  by  the  white  cells  of 
our  body,  who  fight  and  kill  the  dangerous  cells  or  bac- 
teria, is  described  in  the  following  from  a  medical  jour- 
nal: 

"If  microbes  are  introduced  into  the  body,  inclosed  in 
a  capillary  glass  tube,  the  ends  of  which  are  plugged  by 
a  substance  that  permits  a  free  diffusion  of  fluids  but 
prevents  the  escape  of  the  micro-organisms  or  the 
entrance  of  the  phagocites,  the  latter  collect  about  the 
tube  in  clusters  at  the  open  ends.  As  sanitary  officials, 
they  are  attracted  by  the  secretions  (toxins)  of  the 
microbes." 

Just  notice  how  the  soldiers  of  our  body  we  call  white 
cells  are  able  to  detect  the  presence  of  the  dangerous 
enemies  inside  the  glass  tube  and  wait  there  at  the 
entrance  in  sufficient  numbers  to  be  able  to  destroy  them 
if  they  should  escape  from  the  tube.  Here  we  have  a 
good  illustration  of  the  fact  that  the  sense  organs  of  the 
cell  are  in  every  way  just  as  keen  as  those  of  the  higher 


380     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

animals.  The  cell  must  know  from  experience  with  those 
bacteria  in  the  past  ages  that  they  are  very  dangerous. 
His  knowledge  of  the  germ  tells  him  that  he  must  not 
run  any  chances  but  destroy  it  on  sight.  It  is  a  very 
singular  thing,  but  statistics  show  it  to  be  a  fact,  that  the 
germ  cells  of  consumption  will  not  kill  a  woman  with 
child,  but  will  always  give  her  a  chance  to  give  the  child 
a  start  in  life.  This  would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  germ 
of  consumption  is  a  friend  to  the  human  race.  We  never 
stop  to  realize  that  the  cells  are  at  the  base  and  the  cause 
of  all  life  that  we  see.  A  school  text  on  botany  has  the 
following  to  say  about  the  cells  that  build  plants  and 
trees : 

"The  peculiar  work  of  green  plants  or  green  parts  of 
plants  is  to  manufacture  the  kind  of  food  best  known  as 
sugars  and  starch,  such  foods  being  called  carbohydrates. 
This  manufacture  is  exceedingly  important,  for  all  life  is 
dependent  upon  it.  If  green  plants  should  stop  the  manu- 
facture of  carbohydrates,  the  food  supply  of  the  world 
would  soon  be  exhausted.  All  other  forms  of  food  are 
derived  from  carbohydrates  in  some  way  and  only  green 
plants  can  add  to  the  stock  that  is  being  drawn  upon  con- 
tinually. This  means  that  green  plants  must  manufacture 
carbohydrates,  not  only  for  their  own  use  but  also  for  the 
use  of  animals  and  of  plants  that  are  not  green."  While 
this  statement  is  true,  still  we  must  remember  that  the 
plant  does  not  produce  anything.  It  is  the  cells  in  the 
plant  that  produce  in  the  same  manner  as  it  is  the  men  in 
the  factory  who  are  the  real  producers. 

Man  has  been  able  to  discover  but  very  few  of  the 
chemical  secrets  known  by  the  plant  building  cells  and 
the  other  cells  who  know  how  to  make  their  own  food 
from  the  raw  material  of  earth,  air  and  water.  The  power 
to  produce  a  light  without  the  expenditure  of  heat  has 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  381 

been  known  to  the  cell  for  ages.  Man  with  the  phenom- 
enon before  his  eyes  on  sea  and  land,  spending  fortunes, 
investigating  this  and  trying  to  discover  the  secret,  is 
not  yet  able  to  produce  it.  A  text  book  on  physics  has 
the  following  to  say  about  it : 

"We  burn  a  jet  of  gas  in  order  to  produce  artificial 
light.  We  are  seeking  to  set  up  ether  waves  of  a  certain 
length  but  in  doing  so  we  produce  only  three  per  cent  of 
these  waves  and  97%  of  waves  we  do  not  wish  and  could 
do  very  well  without,  as  they  are  simply  dark  heat  waves. 
The  hotter  the  body  is  which  is  setting  up  the  ether 
waves,  the  better  is  the  percentage  of  useful  waves,  but 
even  with  electric  arc  lamps  we  can  only  attain  an  effi- 
ciency of  ten  or  fifteen  per  cent.  If  we  could  only  imi- 
tate nature  as  we  see  her  producing  light  in  the  glow 
worm,  where  practically  the  whole  of  the  ether  disturb- 
ance is  in  the  form  of  visible  light — no  dark  heat  waves 
being  produced — we  should  be  able  to  cause  illumina- 
tion on  a  grand  scale.  Referring  to  the  luminosity  of  the 
glow  worm,  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  has  remarked  that  if  we 
could  only  obtain  this  secret  from  nature,  a  boy  turning 
a  crank  could  furnish  sufficient  energy  to  light  an  entire 
electric  circuit." 

You  will  notice  how  they  put  it.  They  say  if  we 
could  "imitate  nature"  or  "discover  the  secrets  of  na- 
ture." Why  not  tell  the  truth  and  say  the  secrets  of  the 
cell?  What  is  the  reason  for  all  this  meaningless  lan- 
guage and  jumbling  of  words?  Whether  you  say  the 
secrets  of  nature,  the  secrets  of  the  universe,  the  secrets 
of  the  world  or  the  secrets  of  the  moon,  we  understand 
one  about  as  well  as  the  other.  If  the  cell  living  a  single 
life  in  the  open,  or  in  a  colony  like  the  glow  worm  or 
lightning  bug,  can  produce  this  light,  why  not  be  honest 
about  it  and  admit  the  truth?  There  can  be  no  question 


382     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

about  the  facts.  The  roots  of  plants  taste,  feel,  and  select 
from  the  soif  only  the  material  necessary  to  build  the 
plant  and  reject  all  other  material.  It  is  also  evident  that 
a  great  number  can  taste  and  feel  with  their  leaves  as  is 
evidenced  by  the  fly  catching  plants.  Even  Haeckel 
admits  that  much  intelligence  and  makes  the  following 
remarks  in  reference  to  it : 

"The  digestion  corresponds  to  the  gastric  juice  in  the 
animal  and  is  only  secreted  by  the  corpuscles  if  the  solid 
foreign  body  is  nitrogenous  (flesh  or  cheese).  Hence  the 
leaves  of  these  insectivorous  plants  taste  their  meat  diet 
and  distinguish  it  from  other  solids  to  which  they  are  in- 
different. In  the  broader  sense,  in  fact,  we  may  describe 
the  points  of  the  roots  of  plants  as  organs  of  taste.  They 
plunge  into  the  richer  parts  of  the  earth,  which  yield  more 
nourishment  and  avoid  the  poor  parts." 

You  see  from  this  that  the  cells  in  the  plant  feel,  taste 
and  digest  with  a  gastric  juice  in  precisely  the  same  man- 
ner as  we  do.  In  fact,  after  close  investigation  it  has  been 
fully  established  that  all  cells  whether  living  singly  or  in 
colonies  like  plants  and  animals,  digest,  reproduce,  re- 
spire and  perform  all  the  functions  of  an  animal.  They  all 
have  to  have  oxygen  and  food,  the  only  difference  is  their 
method  of  obtaining  it.  You  can  see  the  same  process  of 
social  development  in  all  the  lower  animals,  insects  and 
cells,  as  in  man.  There  is  no  difference  whatever,  and  on 
this  point  Mr.  Haeckel  makes  the  following  remark : 
"Division  of  labor  or  differentiation,  which  has  just 
recently  begun  to  be  correctly  valued,  forms  a  sixth  evo- 
lutionary function  of  special  importance.  We  have  al- 
ready seen  that  division  of  labor  is  the  strongest  impulse 
towards  progressive  evolution,  not  only  in  civic  and  social 
life  but  also  in  the  social  cell  confederacy  of  every  many 
celled  organism.  A  glance  at  any  community  or  state 


CAUSE3  OF  EVOLUTION  383 

organization  shows  that  the  first  condition  of  higher  de- 
velopment and  civilization  is  on  the  one  hand  the  division 
of  the  various  duties  among  the  various  classes  of  the 
citizens  and  on  the  other  hand,  the  co-operation  of  these 
individuals  for  the  common  purpose  of  the  state.  This 
is  exactly  the  case  also  in  every  many  celled  organism. 
Every  multi-cellular  individual  in  the  plant  or  animal 
kingdom  is  more  perfectly  developed  and  ranks  higher  in 
proportion  as  the  division  of  labor  among  its  constituent 
cells,  the  differentiation  of  its  cell  individuals  is  more 
perfect.  Therefore  in  the  various  classes  of  organisms, 
we  find  this  differentiation,  sometimes  in  a  more,  some- 
times in  a  less  perfect  condition.  The  simplest  form  of 
division  of  labor  occurs  in  those  lower  animals  in  the 
bodies  of  which  only  two  kinds  of  cells  have  become  dif- 
ferentiated. This  is  the  case  for  example,  in  the  lowest 
plant  animal,  in  sponges  and  the  simplest  polyps,  as  well 
as  in  their  common  parent  form,  the  gastraea. 

"Throughout  the  entire  many  celled  bodies  of  these 
there  are  only  two  different  kinds  of  cells,  the  one  kind 
affect  nutrition  and  reproduction  of  the  animal,  the  other 
kind  are  its  organs  of  feeling  and  motion.  These  two 
kinds  of  cells  are  identical  with  those  which  first  come  to 
perfection  in  the  first  process  of  differentiation  of  the 
germ  layers  in  the  human  embyro,  but  in  most  higher 
animals,  the  differentiation  of  the  cell  proceeds  much 
further.  Some  take  merely  the  office  of  nutrition ;  others 
that  of  reproduction ;  a  third  group  constitute  the  outer 
covering  of  the  body  and  form  the  skin ;  a  fourth  group, 
the  muscle  cells,  form  the  flesh ;  a  fifth  group,  the  nerve 
cells,  develop  into  the  organ  of  sensation,  of  will,  of 
thought,  etc.  All  these  different  kinds  of  cells  originally 
proceeded  by  differentiation  or  specialization  from  the 
single  egg  cell  and  from  the  homogeneous  descendents  of 


384  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

that  egg  cell,  owing  to  division  of  labor.  This  differentia- 
tion of  the  cells  or  this  division  of  labor  originally  arose 
in  tribal  history  from  causes  similar  to  the  division  of 
labor  in  the  civilized  states  of  men.  Afterwards  it  ap- 
pears in  the  germ  history  and  by  that  time  it  has  been 
made  over  to  heredity  and  is  merely  repeated  in  accord- 
ance with  the  fundamental  law  of  biogeny." 

The  reader  will  notice  that  Mr.  Haeckel  attempts  to 
make  it  plain  that  the  cell  has  developed  from  his  single 
separate  savage  life  to  the  high  state  of  civilization  and 
organization  that  we  now  find  him,  in  plants  and  animals 
in  precisely  the  same  manner  as  the  human  race.  No  one 
can  conceive  how  the  cell  or  insect  could  have  developed 
their  social  institution  without  intelligence  of  the  same 
nature  as  man.  It  is  simply  foolish  to  try  to  evade  plain 
common  sense  and  attempt  to  bewilder  us  with  meaning- 
less phrases.  Our  ordinary  experience  and  common 
sense  is  bound  to  bring  us  to  these  natural  conclusions 
because  they  stand  out  as  the  simple  naked  truths  and 
facts. 

Every  plant  or  animal  starts  from  one  single  cell,  which 
multiplies  and  as  the  body  grows  and  the  organs  are 
completed  in  size  and  structure,  we  have  these  groups  of 
cells  known  as  organs  or  cells  of  the  brain,  cells  of  the 
liver,  cells  of  the  skin,  cells  of  the  muscles,  of  the  bone, 
etc.  We  see  that  the  cells  of  the  body  are  of  the  same 
family,  but  by  reason  of  their  different  occupations  they 
have  become  a  little  different  in  general  appearance  in 
just  the  same  manner  as  the  children  of  a  family,  who 
would  occupy  different  positions  in  life,  would  by  virtue 
of  their  difference  in  occupation  look  a  little  different.  If 
one  was  a  book-keeper,  one  a  butcher,  one  a  farmer,  one  a 
soldier  and  one  a  preacher,  they  would  all  look  a  little 
different  in  general  appearance.  Every  animal  will  be- 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  385 

come  adapted  to  the  particular  work  he  has  to  do  and  this 
we  find  is  also  the  case  with  the  cells  as  well  as  man. 
This  being  the  situation,  the  cells  must  and  do  possess 
the  same  intelligence.  That  they  all  possess  the  same 
general  knowledge  and  skill  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that 
they  can  do  such  work  as  may  be  necessary  in  any  par- 
ticular situation,  as  for  instance  in  the  case  of  repairing 
broken  limbs  or  cut  tissues.  As  I  said  before,  this  work 
required  in  any  particular  place  just  as  much  intelligence 
as  building  the  part  anew.  Any  work  in  life  requires  in- 
telligence;  the  blacksmith,  clerk,  butcher,  lawyer,  all 
must  use  intelligence  in  their  work,  and  so  it  is  with  the 
cells  of  our  body.  The  intelligence  may  differ  in  degree 
in  the  same  manner  that  there  are  good  and  poor  lawyers 
and  blacksmiths,  but  to  be  a  lawyer  or  blacksmith  at  all 
will  require  intelligence. 

Can  the  cells  of  muscle  and  motion  perform  the  work 
of  sensation  or  direction?  Can  one  cell  do  the  work  of  the 
other?  We  find  that  they  can,  but  not  as  well.  Take  for 
instance  in  the  case  of  the  polyp  and  polyzoan  which 
in  every  way  are  just  alike  in  appearance,  but  one  has  cells 
which  we  call  the  nervous  system,  for  the  special  purpose 
of  keeping  watch  and  giving  notice  of  the  approach  of 
enemies,  while  the  other  has  not.  The  polyp  when 
touched  will  attempt  to  escape  but,  as  it  has  the  work  of 
notifying  all  the  other  cells  to  contract,  its  rapidity  of 
contraction  is  interfered  with.  The  cells  of  the  polyp, 
although  they  can  do  the  work  of  the  nerve  cells,  cannot 
do  it  with  the  skill  and  rapidity  that  the  nerves  do  it,  who 
specialize  in  that  work  and  have  no  other  work  to  do. 
We  find  this  to  be  the  case  with  animals  and  men  in  ex- 
actly the  same  degree.  In  reference  'to  this  Spencer 
states :  "A  polyp  and  a  polyzoan,  two  similar  in  outward 
appearances,  but  very  unlike  in  their  internal  structure, 


386  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

will  serve  for  comparison.  A  tentacle  of  a  polyp  when 
touched  slowly  contracts,  and  if  the  touch  has  been  rude, 
the  contraction  presently  extends  to  the  other  tentacles 
and  eventually  to  the  whole  body,  but  if  you  touch  a 
tentacle  of  a  polyzoan  or  slightly  disturb  the  water  near 
it  the  whole  cluster  of  tentacles  is  instantly  withdrawn, 
along  with  the  protruded  parts  of  the  creature's  body, 
into  its  sheath.  The  one  creature  has  no  specialized  con- 
tractile organs  or  fibers  for  conveying  impressions.  The 
other  has  definite  muscles  and  nerves." 

This  should  illustrate  clearly  what  a  nerve  cell  really  is 
and  that  the  cells  of  a  structure  can  perform  different  and 
various  kinds  of  work  and  do  so  until  they  discover  the 
better  and  more  effective  way  of  doing  it,  which  is  to 
specialize  and  allot  to  each  one  his  particular  and  specific 
work.  The  polyzoan,  however,  has  no  brain,  simply  a 
nervous  system,  that  is,  cells  strung  all  over  and  through 
the  body  who  have  nothing  else  to  do  but  watch  for 
enemies  and  direct  the  actions  of  the  individual. 

We  have  seen  that  the  cell  is  a  perfect  animal,  having 
all  the  attributes  of  the  highest  developed  animal.  Ages 
before  the  social  cells  discovered  the  advantages  of  asso- 
ciating together  for  mutual  protection  and  assistance, 
they  lived  separate  lives  in  different  tribes  and  classes, 
each  one  adapting  itself  to  the  particular  climate  or  con- 
ditions to  which  it  happened  to  become  exposed.  It  did 
this  just  as  plants,  animals,  and  man  do  today.  Just  as 
man  is  the  cause  of  all  the  structures  on  earth  produced 
by  him,  such  as  railroads,  armies,  navies,  cities,  etc.,  so 
the  cell  is  the  cause  of  the  living  things  that  we  see.  The 
power  in  man  to  do  these  things  is  his  intelligence,  and  in 
the  same  manner  it  is  intelligence  that  gives  the  cell  his 
power.  The  structures  produced  by  man  are  based  on 
centuries  of  accumulated  experience  and  so  it  is  with  the 


CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION  387 

cell.  He  also  must  act  in  accordance  with  the  knowledge 
accumulated  in  the  past  ages. 

Although  Mr.  Drummond  does  not  see  life  in  the  same 
light  that  I  do  I  shall  quote  his  impressions  of  the  situa- 
tion :  "Now  all  these  complicated  contrivances,  bones, 
muscles,  nerves,  heart,  brain,  lungs  are  made  out  of  cells. 
They  are  themselves  in  their  furthest  development  simply 
masses  of  centers  of  cells  modified  in  various  ways  for 
the  special  department  of  household  work.  They  are 
meant  to  serve.  No  new  thing  has  entered  into  the  em- 
bryo since  its  first  appearance  except  building  material. 
It  seized  whatever  matter  lay  at  hand,  incorporated  it 
with  its  own  quickening  substance  and  built  it  into  its 
appropriate  place,  so  the  structure  rose  in  size  to  the 
stature  of  man.  The  immense  distance  man  has  come 
between  the  early  cell  and  the  infant's  formed  body,  the 
evolutionist  sees  concentrated  into  these  few  months, 
representing  the  labor  and  progress  of  ages.  Here  before 
him  is  the  whole  stretch  of  time  since  life  first  dawned 
upon  earth.  The  human  form  does  not  begin  as  a  human 
form,  it  begins  as  an  animal.  At  first  there  is  nothing 
wearing  the  remotest  semblance  of  humanity ;  what  meets 
the  eye  is  the  vast  procession  of  lower  forms  of  life.  To- 
day in  the  embryo  of  still  living  things,  we  find  again  a 
resurrection  and  life  in  the  frame  of  man  himself.  The 
proposition  is  not  only  that  man  begins  his  earthly  ex- 
istence in  the  guise  of  a  lower  animal-embryo,  but  that  in 
the  successive  transformations  of  the  human  embryo 
there  is  produced  before  our  eyes  a  visible,  actual,  physi- 
cal representation  of  part  of  the  life  history  of  the  world." 

This  description  of  the  situation  by  Mr.  Drummond  is 
both  very  good  and  instructive.  It  shows  how  the  cells 
in  the  course  of  construction  of  the  human  being  are 
compelled  to  follow  in  their  path  of  past  experiences. 


388     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

The  human  being  evolving  from  the  cell  to  the  new  born 
babe  takes  on  all  the  forms  of  the  past  life  of  man  for 
ages.  The  size  of  the  structure  does  not  make  it  any  less 
complicated  and  difficult  to  produce.  Take  for  instance 
the  spinning  apparatus  of  the  spider, — the  spider's  weav- 
ing machine  is  considered  the  most  intricate  and  perfect 
device  in  the  world  for  its  purpose.  It  has  over  600  spools 
and  bobbins  so  small  that  they  can  only  be  seen  with  a 
microscope,  magnifying  about  200  diameters.  The  threads 
which  the  spider  produces  are  formed  in  the  following 
manner :  the  raw  material  for  the  web  is  a  cellulose  mix- 
ture and  is  contained  in  sacks ;  muscular  pressure  forces 
this  liquid  through  minute  ducts  and  this  liquid  is  so 
made  that  it  immediately  hardens  into  a  fiber  when  ex- 
posed to  the  air.  This  fiber  is  brought  to  the  desired 
degree  of  thickness  and  thinness  by  winding  over  and  un- 
der the  various  spools  and  bobbins.  He  has  claws  made 
specifically  for  handling  his  threads  and  spinning  machin- 
ery and  with  these  specially  made  hands  he  is  able  to  han- 
dle his  machinery  with  wonderful  skill  and  speed.  He  is 
able  with  this  machine  to  produce  threads  of  different  de- 
grees of  strength,  depending  on  the  purpose  for  which 
they  are  to  be  used.  The  silk  worm  uses  a  similar  method, 
but  his  is  crude  compared  to  the  spider's.  The  material 
used,  however,  is  almost  the  same.  Man  has  been  experi- 
menting until  he  discovered  the  substance  or  raw  material 
used  by  the  cells  in  the  silk  worm  and  is  now  able  to 
imitate  it  tolerably  well  and  produce  an  artificial  silk 
fairly  good. 

Several  Germans  and  Frenchmen  are  experimenting 
with  spiders,  trying  to  breed  a  special  kind  who  might  be 
a  competitor  of  the  silk  worm.  Just  think  of  what  the 
spider  building  cells  have  to  do  to  build  this  spider!  The 
building  of  a  tree,  man  or  elephant  is  simple  as  compared 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  389 

with  the  building  of  the  spider.  Think  of  a  spinning 
machine  with  600  spools  and  bobbins  and  the  dexterity 
required  to  handle  it,  and  the  job  o^  manufacturing  the 
cellulose  from  other  crude  material  with  which  to  weave 
the  threads  to  be  used  for  snares  and  other  purposes ! 
Where  does  man  produce  any  such  rapidly  moving,  com- 
plicated factory?  Until  a  person  has  seen  some  of  the 
productions  of  the  cell  through  the  microscope,  he  does 
not  comprehend  what  life  is.  A  certain  species  of  the 
spider,  we  remember,  weaves  a  waterproof  'diving  bell, 
which  he  ties  to  the  grass  under  water,  and  in  which  he 
dwells  with  his  family  and  catches  water  insects  for  food 
when  they  come  near  him.  He  carries  the  air  from  above 
down  into  his  underwater  dwelling,  which  is  both  air  and 
water-tight. 

The  intelligence  of  man  cannot  produce  any  structure 
involving  as  many  complicated  acts  of  skill  and  design  as 
the  spider,  nor  can  man  show  any  more  social  progress 
than  the  bee.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  bees  have  some 
method  of  simple  and  rapid  inter-communication.  If  any- 
thing happens  to  the  hive  or  if  some  new  place  to  get 
honey  is  discovered,  they  all  know  about  it  very  quickly. 
Mr.  Maeterlink  has  the  following  to  say  about  this  : 

"Let  us  now  in  order  to  form  a  clearer  conception  of 
the  bee's  intellectual  power  proceed  to  consider  their 
methods  of  inter-communication.  There  can  be  no 
doubting  that  they  understand  each  other ;  and  indeed  it 
were  surely  impossible  for  a  republic  so  considerable, 
wherein  the  labours  are  so  varied  and  so  marvelously 
combined  to  subsist  amid  the  silence  and  spiritual  isola- 
tion of  so  many  thousand  creatures.  They  must  be  able 
therefore  to  give  expression  to  thoughts  and  feelings  by 
means  either  of  a  phonetic  vocabulary  or  more  probably 
of  some  kind  of  tactile  language  or  magnetic  intuition 


390     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

corresponding  perhaps  to  senses  and  properties  of  mat- 
ter wholly  unknown  to  ourselves.  And  such  intuition 
well  might  lodge  in  the  mysterious  antennae — containing 
in  the  case  of  the  worker,  according  to  Cheshire's  calcula- 
tion, 12,000  tactile  hairs  and  5,000  'smell-hollows',  where- 
with they  probe  and  fathom  the  darkness.  For  the  mu- 
tual understanding  of  the  bees  is  not  confined  to  their 
habitual  labours ;  the  extraordinary  also  has  a  name  and 
place  in  their  language,  as  is  proved  by  the  manner  in 
which  news,  good  or  bad,  normal  or  supernatural,  will  at 
once  spread  in  the  hive ;  the  loss  or  return  of  the  mother, 
for  instance,  the  entrance  of  an  enemy,  the  intrusion  of  a 
strange  queen,  the  approach  of  a  band  of  marauders,  the 
discovery  of  treasure,  etc." 

It  has  been  shown  that  bees  take  advantage  of  every 
invention  and  discovery  which  they  may  run  across  and 
that  they  use  their  building  material  or  food  to  the  very 
best  advantage.  In  reference  to  this  matter,  Mr.  Maeter- 
link  has  also  the  following  to  say : 

"Scarcely  had  it  been  formulated  when  another  natur- 
alist, Andrew  Knight,  having  covered  the  bark  of  some 
diseased  tree  with  a  kind  of  cement  made  of  turpentine 
and  wax,  discovered  that  his  bees  were  entirely  renounc- 
ing the  collection  of  propolis  and  exclusively  using  this 
unknown  matter,  which  they  had  quickly  tested  and 
adopted  and  found  in  abundant  quantities  ready  prepared 
in  the  vicinity  of  their  dwelling. 

And  indeed,  one-half  of  the  science  and  practise  of 
apiculture  consists  in  giving  free  range  to  the  spirit,  of 
initiative  possessed  by  the  bees  and  in  providing  their 
enterprising  intellect  with  opportunities  for  veritable  dis- 
coveries and  veritable  inventions.  Thus,  for  instance,  to 
aid  in  the  rearing  of  the  larvae  and  nymphs,  the  bee- 
keeper will  scatter  a  certain  quantity  of  flour  close  to  the 


CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION  391 

hive  when  the  pollen  is  scarce,  of  which  these  consume  an 
enormous  quantity.  In  a  state  of  nature  in  the  heart  of 
their  native  forests  in  Asiatic  valleys,  where  they  existed 
probably  long  before  the  tertiary  epoch,  the  bees  can 
evidently  never  have  met  with  a  substance  of  this  kind. 
And  yet,  if  care  be  taken  to  'bait'  some  of  them  with  it 
by  placing-  them  on  the  floor,  they  will  touch  it  and  test 
it;  they  will  perceive  that  its  properties  more  or  less  re- 
semble those  possessed  by  the  dust  of  the  anthers ;  they 
will  spread  the  news  among  their  sisters  and  we  shall 
soon  find  every  forager  hastening  to  this  unexpected, 
incomprehensible  food,  which  in  their  hereditary  mem- 
ory must  be  inseparable  from  the  calyx  of  flowers  where 
their  flight  for  so  many  centuries  past  has  been  sumptu- 
ously and  voluptuously  welcomed." 

The  brain  of  the  bee,  which  directs  all  its  actions,  con- 
tains but  few  cells.  The  power  that  nearly  all  cater- 
pillars or  young  butterflies  have  of  changing  their  color  to 
harmonize  with  the  place  in  which  they  are  living  is  cer- 
tainly wonderful,  and  its  value  has  not  been  understood 
by  man  until  lately.  During  this  last  European  war,  the 
following  article  appeared  in  my  paper  on  the  subject: 
"A  striking  instance  of  the  application  of  scientific 
knowledge  to  the  purpose  of  war  is  the  color  of  the  Ger- 
man service  uniform,  a  kind  of  invisible  grey-yellow- 
green,  which  blends  with  the  prevailing  hue  of  a  land- 
scape, so  that  bodies  of  troops  become  as  it  were  con- 
cealed in  a  chromatic  haze. 

"Naturalists  have  long  been  familiar  with  'protective 
coloration',  which  is  found  among  many  species  of  insect 
and  other  animals,  and  it  is  rather  surprising  that  this 
principle,  which  science  declares  to  be  a  result  of  evolu- 
tionary adaptation,  has  not  sooner  been  employed  in  the 
apparelling  of  armies.  Khaki  uniforms,  whichuhave  been 


392     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

widely  adopted  since  the  Boer  war,  represent  a  first  step 
toward  the  development  of  a  scientific  military  invest- 
ment  Evidently  a  dress  that  tends  to 

conceal  the  movements  of  troops  is  almost  as  important 
as  smokeless  powder,  which  keeps  the  secret  of  the  loca- 
tion of  guns,  and  its  importance  is  accentuated  by  the 
increased  distance  at  which  armies  now  fight  one  another. 
Troops  dressed  in  dark  or  flaming  colors  can  be  seen  afar 
off,  but  the  modern  scientific  uniform  possesses  some- 
thing of  the  concealing  power  of  the  chromatic  pattern 
with  which  leopards,  tigers,  and  zebras  are  covered. 

"Those  who  have  never  seen  these  animals  amid  their 
natural  surroundings  can  form  no  clear  idea  of  the  blind- 
ing effects  produced  by  protective  coloration.  Hunters 
in  Africa  have  told  almost  incredible  stories  of  herds  of 
zebras  standing  in  plain  sight  of  the  observer  and  yet 
actually  invisible  to  him  until  a  sudden  alarm  sent  them 
away  in  wild  scamper.  Their  color  and  their  markings 
are  wonderfully  accordant  with  yellowish  hues  and  the 
barrings  of  black  shadow  that  characterize  the  landscape 
amid  which  they  live. 

"In  our  day  the  Assyrian  wolf  no  longer  comes  down 
upon  the  fold,  his  cohorts  gleaming  in  purple  and  gold, 
but  he  steals  along  like  the  tawny  lion  in  the  tawny  des- 
ert, while  his  dusty  hued  prey  slips  off  concealed  against 
the  background  of  sand. 

"These  things  may  have  a  determining  influence  in  dis- 
gusting mankind  with  war.  Mars  in  the  guise  of  a  cham- 
eleon loses  all  his  romantic  attraction  and  shows  himself 
up  as  a  hideous  monster,  whose  doings  become  more 
repulsive  in  proportion  as  they  are  more  brutally  prac- 
tical." 

Figs.  47-49  and  50  and  others  by  Mr.  Shute  are  pub- 
lished in  this  book  by  courtesy  of  the  Open  Court  Pub. 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  393 

Co.  These  figures  show  the  wonderful  skill  with  which 
the  cell  colonies  in  butterflies,  beetles,  etc.,  are  able  to 
build  their  moving  structures  or  habitations  in  shapes 
and  colors  so  as  to  deceive  and  escape  their  enemies.  Fig. 
47  shows  that  they  have  in  addition  painted  the  inside  of 
the  wings  a  most  beautiful  color  to  attract  the  opposite 
sex.  Intelligent  man  is  doing  the  same  thing  today,  but 
he  did  not  discover  the  art  nor  its  benefits  until  just  re- 
cently. The  cells  who  build  these  beetles,  caterpillars 
and  butterflies  have  understood  and  practiced  the  art  for 
ages.  They  knew  the  secret  of  how  to  produce  the  color- 
ing matter  and  with  it  paint  these  artistic  figures  thou- 
sands of  years  before  man  lived  in  houses. 

I  have  myself  experimented  with  caterpillars,  who  can 
color  themselves  as  may  be  necessary  to  simulate  the 
place  on  which  they  are  resting  and  it  certainly  is  won- 
derful when  you  consider  the  situation,  that  the  cells  of 
the  skin  must  first  have  a  picture  of  the  outside  before 
they  can  arrange  the  pigment  so  as  to  affect  the  desired 
color.  Just  as  wonderful  is  the  ability  of  the  cells,  which 
make  up  the  caterpillar,  to  tear  down  and  dismantle  the 
caterpillar  and  with  the  same  material  build  a  new  and 
different  structure  designed  to  navigate  the  air,  which 
we  call  a  butterfly.  A  text  book  on  zoology  has  the  fol- 
lowing on  Protective  Coloring:  "Mr.  Leslie  inclosed 
certain  caterpillars  of  one  kind  in  two  boxes,  one  black 
and  the  other  white,  and  he  found  that  the  color  of  the 
chrysalis  in  each  case  harmonized  with  the  color  of  the 
box.  Mr.  R.  Holland  also  found  the  cocoons  of  the  Em- 
peror moth  to  be  either  white  or  brown,  according  as 
they  were  spun  on  paper  or  amid  dead  grass,  or  on  soil. 
Mr.  E.  B.  Poulton  has  ascertained  that  in  a  large  number 
of  larvae  of  a  Vanessa  butterfly  surrounded  by  variously 


394     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

colored  papers,  the  colors  of  nearly  all  the  pupae  were 
like,  or  related  to  that  of  the  paper  about  them." 

In  what  manner  do  the  actions  of  the  cells  in  animals, 
taking  advantage  of  the  color  protection,  differ  from  the 
same  acts  by  a  German  general?  In  what  manner  does 
the  act  of  the  bee  going  after  and  storing  food  for  the 
winter  differ  from  the  act  of  the  farmer  rilling  his  barn 
with  hay  for  the  winter?  They  are  all  directed  for  a  pur- 
pose. At  every  step  in  our  investigation  of  the  cause  of 
evolution,  development  and  progress  in  life,  we  shall  find 
that  it  is  intelligence  in  the  cell  that  is  the  cause.  It  is 
not  chemical  nor  mechanical  force  nor  blind  chance,  as 
some  will  have  it,  nor  is  it  nature,  destiny  or  some  other 
mystic  force  as  others  call  it.  It  is  the  cell ;  and  the  rea- 
son he  is  able  to  produce  these  different  things  is  the 
same  as  the  reason  that  man  is  able  to  produce  those  dif- 
ferent things  produced  by  him.  We  find  that  he  has 
taken  advantage  of  all  the  blind  forces  of  nature  and 
converted  them  to  his  own  purpose  and  use,  just  as  man 
has.  Only  a  few  years  ago  we  knew  nothing  about  this 
invisible  architect  and  we  could  only  say  that  a  tree  or 
man  simply  grew,  but  now  we  know  there  is  one  who 
directs  the  work  in  the  building  of  a  tree  or  animal,  just 
as  there  is  one  who  directs  the  work  in  the  construction 
of  a  house.  The  structure  goes  up  piece  by  piece.  The 
materialist,physicist,  or  mechanist  states  that  when  cer- 
tain conditions  get  right,  the  chemical  force  will  do  the 
rest  and  produce  all  the  different  living  structures  we  see. 
This  statement  we  know  is  not  true  from  what  we  know 
at  the  present  time.  Nothing  is  produced  today,  nor  has 
anything  been  produced  in  the  past,  unless  some  intelli- 
gent being  was  back  of  it  to  direct  the  dead  matter  and 
blind  forces  in  the  universe. 

The  natural  and  chemical  forces  applied  to  matter  will 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  395 

always  produce  the  same  result  and  will  always  follow 
fixed  laws.  We  know  that  back  of  all  those  things  we 
see  like  houses,  factories,  ships  and  railroads,  is  the  in- 
telligence of  man.  We  see  the  cell  build  analogous  pur- 
posive structures  we  call  plants  and  animals,  and  we  are 
compelled  to  say  that  back  of  them  is  the  intelligence  of 
the  cell.  If  it  is  necessary  in  one  it  is  also  necessary  in 
the  other.  We  are  not  able  to  say  or  explain  the  cause  of 
intelligence  in  the  cell  any  more  than  we  can  explain  the 
cause  of  electricity  and  gravity.  However,  we  know  that 
its  existence  is  a  fact.  We  know  it  is  intelligence  that 
guides  the  actions  of  man,  animal  and  cells  just  as  we 
know  it  is  gravitation  which  guides  the  stone  towards 
the  ground.  We  find  that  it  is  the  same  force  in  all 
places  which  guides  them  in  their  acts,  just  as  it  is  the 
same  force  that  pulls  all  objects  toward  the  ground.  We 
find  that  the  hydra  can  be  turned  inside  out  without  per- 
ceptibly injuring  the  animal  and  that  in  that  case  the  cells 
will  change  work.  The  outside  skin  layer  of  cells,  which 
before  did  all  the  respiratory  work,  will  now  do  all  the 
digesting,  and  all  the  inside  layer  of  skin  cells  will  do  all 
the  breathing  or  respiratory  work.  What  does  it  prove? 
Simply  this, — that  the  cells  are  intelligent, — they  know 
what  their  duty  is  and  what  must  be  done  and  know  how 
to  do  the  right  thing  at  the  right  time  under  all  circum- 
stances. In  the  larvae  of  the  dragon-fly  and  a  number  of 
other  insects,  the  alimentary  canal  respires,  digests  and 
excretes.  It  might  seem  singular  that  the  stomach  cell 
can  do  all  these  different  kinds  of  work,  but  when  we 
consider  that  the  larvae  or  insect  is  simply  a  colony  of 
individuals  who  work  for  themselves  and  do  whatever 
is  necessary  to  perpetuate  and  protect  their  colony,  it  is 
only  what  we  may  reasonably  expect.  One  will  take 


396  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 

charge  of  and  do  the  work  of  the  other  or  all  the  work 
when  it  may  be  necessary  under  certain  circumstances. 

These  facts  simply  show  that  the  actions  of  the  cell  are 
in  every  detail  similar  to  those  of  man,  and  they  show  that 
chance  variation  is  not  the  cause  of  producing  anything 
in  life  any  more  than  chance  would  produce  anything  like 
houses  and  railroads,  and  that  chance  variation  is  in  no 
way  the  cause  of  evolution  and  progress.  Take  for  in- 
stance the  electric  organs  of  fishes  used  by  them  both  for 
offensive  and  defensive  purposes.  They  are  very  large 
and  until  fully  completed  they  could  be  of  no  use  to  the 
individual.  It  could  not  have  been  of  any  benefit  to  the 
fish  to  carry  that  large  complicated  electric  mechanism 
around  with  him  until  perfected  to  such  an  exten-t  as  to  be 
used.  It  could  not  possibly  have  been  a  beneficial  variation 
until  completed.  The  following  is  a  description  of  one  of 
these  fishes  from  a  scientific  magazine :  "The  marshy 
waters  of  Bera  and  Rastro  in  South  America  are  filled  with 
innumerable  electric  eels,  which  can  at  pleasure  discharge 
from  every  part  of  their  slimy,  yellow-speckled  bodies  a 
deadening  shock.  This  species  of  gymnotus  is  about  five 
or  six  feet  in  length,  and  is  powerful  enough  to  kill  human 
beings  and  the  largest  animals  when  it  discharges  its 
nervous  organs  at  one  shock  in  a  favorable  direction.  It 
was  once  found  necessary  to  change  the  line  of  road  from 
Uritucu  across  the  steppe,  owing  to  the  number  of  horses 
which  in  fording  a  certain  rivulet  annually  fell  a  sacri- 
fice to  these  gymnoti,  which  had  accumulated  there  in 
great  numbers." 

The  production  of  these  powerful  electric  machines  is 
nothing  more  than  what  we  should  reasonably  ex- 
pect when  we  consider  who  the  builder  of  the  electric  fish 
is  and  his  mental  and  inventive  capacity.  If  you  should 
examine  the  cell  that  builds  electric  fish  with  a  powerful 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  397 

microscope,  side  by  side  with  the  cell  that  does  the  think- 
ing for  the  great  inventor,  Thomas  Edison, — compare 
them  critically  and  closely,  they  would  appear  to  you  to 
be  one  and  the  same  cell  and  the  one  could  not  be  dis- 
tinguished from  the  other. 

There  is  a  plant  in  Persia  called  the  Devil  plant,  that 
has  invented  a  scheme  by  which  it  is  able  to  capture  deer, 
cattle  and  animals  by  the  nose  and  kill  them  with  poison, 
and  when  the  animal  dies  the  plant  grows  in  the  soil 
made  rich  by  the  decaying  carcass.  This  plant  (or  rather 
the  cells  that  build  it)  makes  a  pair  of  spring  hooks  about 
6  inches  long  and  4  inches  apart  at  top,  so  as  to  fit  over 
the  nose  of  the  animal.  The  hooks  spring  inward  and 
are  tough  as  steel.  The  following  is  a  brief  description 
of  the  plant : 

"The  Devil  plant  they  call  it  in  Persia,  and  well  they 
may,  for  it  is  more  deadly  to  the  flocks  and  herds  that  play 
so  important  a  part  in  their  life  than  is  the  loco  weed  to 
the  herds  of  our  southwestern  states. 

It  is  in  the  fall  that  the  Devil  plant  gets  in  its  deadly 
work.  The  flowers  give  place  to  seed  pods  with  great 
belly  like  capsules  and  long  stiff  claws  like  those  of  a 
beast  of  prey.  These  are  hidden  under  the  brown  and 
yellow  leaves  and  when  a  grazing  animal — a  sheep,  a 
camel,  a  wild  ass  or  an  antelope  for  example — browses 
among  the  foliage,  the  claws  hook  themselves  into  its 
nostrils.  The  animal  tries  to  rub  them  off  but  the  more 
it  rubs  the  deeper  it  forces  the  claw  like  hooks  into  its 
skin.  Its  throat  becomes  so  inflamed  that  it  can  neither 
eat  nor  drink  and  consequently  it  dies  of  starvation  and 
pain.  The  animal's  body  lies  in  the  open  and  decays  and 
into  the  decomposing  flesh  the  hundreds  of  black  seeds 
contained  in  the  capsules  of  the  clawed  pod  are  dis- 
charged, For  it  seems  that  earth  is  not  rich  enough  for 


398     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

them  and  only  in  decayed  flesh  can  they  find  enough 
nourishment.     Drivers  of  caravans  curse  the  Devil  plant 


FIG.  48. — Seedpod  of  the  Persian  devil  plant,  with  its  claws  four  inches  acrost 

for  it  may  cost  them  many  of  their  beasts  when  these  are 
turned  loose  to  graze  at  night.  But  most  of  the  semi-wild 
beasts  that  graze  in  the  country  have  learned  to  avoid  it, 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  399 

even  as  the  American  herds  have  learned  to  avoid  the 
deadly  loco  weed." 

Do  you  think  a  scheme  like  that  could  have  come  about 
and  have  been  produced  by  chance?  Before  they  could 
in  any  way  become  effective,  both  of  those  hooks 
had  to  be  just  so  far  apart  and  curved  over  just  so  and 
made  of  extraordinarily  strong  material  to  effect  the  pur- 
pose for  which  they  were  intended.  This  grappling  ma- 
chine would  have  to  be  complete  and  perfect  in  every 
way  before  it  could  be  effective.  It  seems  almost  un- 
reasonable to  think  that  a  plant  could  figure  out  this 
scheme  with  which  to  be  able  to  catch,  kill  and  eat  cattle, 
sheep  and  camels,  but  such  are  the  facts.  This  plant  is 
a  stationary  abode  of  a  colony  of  cells.  The  cattle, 
sheep  and  man  are  movable  abodes  of  cell  colonies.  The 
cells  of  a  stationary  colony  should  have  just  as  much 
time  and  opportunity  to  figure  out  schemes  and  inven- 
tions with  which  to  protect  themselves  or  obtain  their 
food  as  the  cells  of  the  movable  colonies.  When  the 
matter  is  considered  rightly,  we  should  expect  to  find 
precisely  the  same  inventive  genius,  skill  and  intelligence 
in  one  place  as  the  other. 

Before  closing  this  chapter  I  shall  quote  the  following 
by  Ernest  Haeckel  from  his  works  on  Embryology.  It 
is  a  little  long  but  it  is  a  good  comparison  of  the  human 
cell  with  other  cells  living  singly  and  as  separate  lives. 
He  says : 

"Though  the  amoeba  is  therefore  only  a  simple  cell,  it 
shows  itself  capable  of  performing  all  the  functions  of  a 
many  celled  organism.  It  moves  itself  by  creeping,  it 
feels,  it  feeds,  it  reproduces  its  kind.  Some  species  of 
amoeba  are  visible  to  the  naked  eye,  but  the  greater  num- 
ber are  microscopic.  Our  reasons  for  regarding  the 
amoeba  as  the  particular  one  celled  organism,  the  phylo- 


400     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 

genetic  relations  of  which  to  the  egg  cell  are  of  peculiar 
importance,  will  be  evident  from  the  following  facts.  In 
many  lower  animals  the  egg  cell  remains  in  its  original 
naked  condition  until  it  is  fertilized ;  it  requires  no  cover- 
ing and  is  often  indistinguishable  from  an  amoeba.  Like 
the  latter,  these  naked  egg-cells  can  extend  processes  and 
move  about.  In  the  sponges  these  active  egg-cells  creep 
freely  about  as  though  they  were  independent  amoeba, 
even  within  the  parent  organism.  In  this  condition  they 
were  observed  by  earlier  naturalists  and  were  mistaken 
for  amoeba,  living  as  parasitical  intruders  in  the  body  of 
the  sponge.  It  was  only  afterwards  that  it  was  discovered 
that  these  supposed  one  celled  parasites  were  in  reality 
the  egg  cells  of  the  sponge  itself.  This  remarkable  phe- 
nomenon is  also  found  in  other  lower  animals — for  ex- 
ample— in  those  pretty  bell  shaped  plant  animals  (me- 
dusae) ;  the  eggs  of  these  also  remain  as  naked  uncovered 
cells,  which  stretch  out  amoeboid  processes,  feed  them- 
selves, move,  and  from  which  after  fertilization  the  many 
celled  medusae-organism  is  indirectly  or  directly  devel- 
oped by  repeated  division. 

"It  is  therefore  certainly  no  wild  hypothesis  but  an  en- 
tirely sober  conclusion  which  regards  the  amoeba  as  the 
particular  one  celled  organism  which  gives  us  an  approx- 
imate representation  of  the  ancient  one-celled  ancestral 
form  common  to  all  many  celled  organisms.  The  naked 
simple  amoeba  possesses  a  less  differentiated  and  more 
primary  character  than  most  other  cells.  To  this  may 
be  added  the  circumstance  that  similar  amoeboid  cells 
can  be  shown  in  the  full  grown  bodies  of  all  many  celled 
animals.  For  example,  they  occur  as  the  so  called  white 
blood  corpuscles  among  the  red  blood  cells  (corpuscles) 
in  human  blood  and  in  that  of  all  other  vertebrates.  They 
also  occur  in  many  invertebrate  animals,  for  instance,  in 


FIG.  49. — Caterpillar  B  of  a  Geometer  Moth  (Prochoerodes  transverrata)  on 
the  stem  of  a  plant  (Ailanthus)  A.  Illustrating  protective  resemblance  in  both 
color  and  form.  Schute. 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  401 

the  blood  of  the  snail  arid  in  1859  I  showed  that  these 
colorless  blood  corpuscles  like  independent  amoeba  can 
assimilate  solid  particles,  can,  therefore,  eat.  Lately  it 
has  been  found  that  very  many  different  cells,  if  they 
have  room,  are  able  to  move  and  eat  and  to  act  entirely 
like  amoeba. 

The  capacity  of  the  naked  cell  to  make  these  character- 
istic amoeboid  movements  depends  on  the  contractility 
(or  automatic  movableness)  of  the  protoplasm.  This 
seems  to  be  the  universal  property  of  all  young  cells. 
Where  they  are  not  surrounded  by  a  strong  membrane 
or  shut  up  in  a  cell  prison,  they  are  all  capable  of  amoe- 
boid movements.  This  is  as  true  of  the  uncovered  egg 
cell  as  of  other  uncovered  cells  of  the  moving  cells  of 
various  kinds,  lymph  cells,  mucous  cells,  etc. 

"Our  examination  of  the  egg  cell  and  comparison  of  it 
with  the  amoeba  has  afforded  us  the  best  and  surest 
basis  for  the  history  of  the  germ  as  well  as  for  the  history 
of  the  tribe.  From  it  we  have  drawn  the  conclusions  that 
the  human  egg  is  a  simple  cell ;  that  this  egg  cell  is  not 
essentially  different  from  those  of  other  mammals  and 
that  we  must  therefore  infer  the  existence  of  a  primeval 
one-celled  ancestral  form,  which  in  all  essential  points 
was  of  amoeboid  form. 

"The  very  important  bearing  which  the  Cell  Theory 
has  on  the  whole  conception  of  organic  nature  is  thus 
very  clearly  seen.  The  'Place  of  man  in  nature'  is  radi- 
cally explained  by  it.  Without  this  theory,  man  is  an 
unintelligible  puzzle.  Philosophers,  therefore,  and  cer- 
tainly the  psychologists,  ought  especially  to  acquaint 
themselves  thoroughly  with  the  Cell  Theory.  The  human 
mind  can  only  be  really  understood  by  means  of  this 
theory  and  its  simplest  form  is  illustrated  in  the  amoeba. 
The  extant  amoeba  and  the  kindred  one-celled  organism, 


402     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

arcellae  gregarinae,  etc.,  are  therefore  of  great  interest, 
because  they  show  us  the  simple  cell  in  a  permanently 
independent  form.  The  human  organism  and  that  of 
higher  animals,  on  the  contrary,  is  only  one  cell  in  its 
earliest  immature  condition.  As  soon  as  the  egg  cell  is 
fertilized,  it  multiplies  by  division  and  forms  a  commun- 
ity or  colony  of  many  social  cells.  These  differentiate 
themselves  and  by  their  specialization  by  various  modi- 
fications of  these  cells,  the  various  tissues  which  com- 
pose the  various  organs  are  developed.  The  developed 
many-celled  organisms  of  man  and  of  all  higher  animals 
resembles  therefore,  a  social,  civil  community,  the  num- 
erous single  individuals  of  which  are  indeed  developed  in 
various  ways,  but  were  originally  only  simple  cells.  *  *  * 

"We  have  reached  the  conclusion  that  the  original,  an- 
cestral form  of  man,  as  of  the  other  animals,  was  a  one- 
celled  organism.  The  whole  difficult  problem  of  the  His- 
tory of  Evolution  is  thus  now  reduced  to  the  simple  ques- 
tion :  How  has  the  complex  many  celled  organism  arisen 
from  the  simple  one  celled  form?  By  what  natural 
process  has  the  simple  cell  been  transferred  into  the 
complex  life  apparatus  with  all  its  various  organs,  the 
apparently  rational  and  purposive  construction  of  which 
we  admire  in  the  developed  body? 

"Turning  now  to  answer  this  question,  we  must  bear 
in  mind  the  view  to  which  we  have  already  alluded,  that 
the  many  celled  organism  is  ordered  and  constituted  on 
the  same  principle  as  a  civilized  state  in  which  the  sev- 
eral citizens  have  devoted  themselves  to  various  services 
directed  towards  common  ends.  This  comparison  is  of 
the  greatest  service  in  enabling  us  thoroughly  to  under- 
stand the  construction  of  man  from  many  cells  of  various 
kinds  and  to  understand  also  the  harmonious  co-operation 
of  these  various  cells  for  an  apparently  preconceived 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  403 

purpose.  If  we  bear  this  comparison  in  mind  and  apply 
this  significant  idea  of  the  developed  many  celled  organ- 
ism as  a  civil  union  of  many  individuals  to  the  history  of 
the  evolution  of  this  organism,  we  shall  obtain  a  correct 
view  of  the  real  nature  of  the  first  and  most  important 
processes  of  evolution.  We  can  even  on  deeper  reflection 
guess  the  first  stages  of  development  and  establish  them 
a  priori,  before  we  call  observation,  a  posterior  knowl- 
edge, to  our  aid. 

"Let  us  therefore  first  answer  this  question :  'Granting 
the  correctness  of  the  fundamental  law  of  Biogeny,  how 
would  the  original  one-celled  organism,  which  founded 
the  first  cell  state  and  thus  became  the  ancestor  of  the 
higher  many  celled  animals — how  must  that  organism 
have  acted  at  the  beginning  of  organic  life  on  the  earth 
or  at  the  beginning  of  creation,  as  it  is  usually  expressed?' 
The  answer  is  very  simple.  It  must  have  acted  just  as 
man  who  founds  a  state  or  a  colony  for  a  given  purpose. 

"Their  only  purpose  in  life  for  centuries  has  remained 
as  simple  as  that  of  the  lower  animals  or  plants ;  the  sim- 
ple aim  of  self  preservation  and  of  the  production  of  de- 
scendants. They  have  been  contented  with  the  simplest 
organic  function,  nutrition  and  reproduction.  Hunger 
and  love  are  their  only  motive  for  action.  For  a  long 
period  these  savages  must  have  aimed  at  the  one  single 
object  of  self  preservation.  Gradually,  however,  several 
families  collected  at  certain  places — larger  communities 
arose  and  now  many  reciprocal  relations  began  to  arise 
between  individuals ;  in  consequence  a  rude  division  of 
labor  took  place.  Certain  savages  continued  to  fish  and 
hunt,  others  began  to  cultivate  the  ground,  others  de- 
voted themselves  to  religion  and  medicine,  which  now 
began  to  develop,  etc.  In  short  the  ever  increasing  divi- 
sion of  labor  specializes  the  people  into  various  ranks 


404  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

or  castes,  which  always  tend  to  become  more  sharply  de- 
fined in  proportion  as  the  state  became  more  highly  de- 
veloped ;  all  follow  diverse  occupations  and  yet  work 
for  a  common  end.  A  process  similar  to  this,  and  the  de- 
tails of  which  each  can  easily  fill  up  for  himself,  took 
place  millions  of  years  ago  when,  at  the  beginning  of 
organic  life  on  the  earth,  one  celled  organisms  at  first 
developed  and  were  afterwards  followed  by  many  celled 
forms. 

"The  single  cells  which  arose  by  reproduction  from  the 
oldest  parent-cells  must  at  first  have  lived  in  an  isolated 
condition ;  each  one  performed  the  same  simple  offices  as 
all  the  others.  They  were  satisfied  with  self  preservation, 
nutrition  and  reproduction.  At  a  later  period  isolated 
cells  gathered  into  communities.  Groups  of  simple  cells, 
which  had  arisen  by  the  continued  division  of  a  single 
cell  remain  together  and  now  began  gradually  to  perform 
different  offices  in  life.  The  first  traces  of  specialization 
or  division  of  labor  soon  occurred,  as  one  cell  assumed 
one  office,  another  another.  One  set  of  cells  may  have 
devoted  themselves  especially  to  the  absorption  of  food 
or  nutrition.  Other  cells  may  have  busied  themselves 
only  with  reproduction  and  others  again  have  formed 
themselves  into  protecting  organs  for  the  little  commun- 
ity, etc.  In  short,  various  classes  or  castes  must  have 
arisen  in  the  cell  state  following  diverse  occupation  and 
yet  working  together  for  the  common  end.  In  propor- 
tion as  this  division  of  labor  progressed,  the  many  celled 
organism  or  the  specialized  cell  community  became  more 
perfect  or  civilized." 

Mr.  Haeckel  is  a  great  student  of  life  but  he  does  not 
think  that  the  cell  is  possessed  of  any  intelligence,  but 
believes  that  the  actions  of  the  cells  are  caused  by  chem- 
ical energy.  I  think  he  is  mistaken, — at  least,  all  facts 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  405 

that  we  know  so  far  are  against  him.  He  makes  this 
statement :  "How  must  that  organism  (meaning  the 
cell)  have  acted  at  the  beginning  of  organic  life  on  the 
earth  or  at  the  beginning  of  creation,  as  it  is  usually  ex- 
pressed? The  answer  is  very  simple.  It  must  have  acted 
just  as  man  who  founds  a  state  or  a  colony  for  a  given 
purpose." 

It  seems  to  me  perfectly  clear  that  if  the  cell  organized 
his  civilized  communities  and  colonies  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  man  did  his,  that  he  should  also  be  and  necessarily 
was  an  intelligent  being  like  man.  If  man  is  able  to  do 
these  things  by  reason  of  his  intelligence,  the  same  reason 
or  cause  must  also  be  back  of  the  cell.  Our  knowledge 
of  the  cell  is,  as  yet,  very  limited,  but  if  man  is  intelligent 
so  is  the  cell  that  built  him.  If  the  cell  can  invent  and 
produce  machines  for  different  purposes  and  organize 
himself  socially  in  the  same  manner  as  man  does,  why  is 
he  less  intelligent?  I  want  the  reader  to  carefully  con- 
sider the  following  statement  by  Mr.  Haeckel  in  describ- 
ing the  actions  of  the  single  cell  called  amoeba,  which  is 
so  very  similar  to  the  man  and  animal  building  cell.  He 
states : 

"If  one  of  these  creeping  amoeba  is  touched  with  a 
needle  or  if  a  drop  of  acid  is  added  to  the  water,  the  whole 
body  at  once  contracts  in  consequence  of  this  mechanical 
or  chemical  irritation.  Usually  it  reassumes  its  spherical 
form.  Under  certain  circumstances,  for  example  if  the 
impurities  remain  in  the  water,  the  amoeba  begins  to 
encase  itself.  It  exudes  a  homogeneous  envelope  or  cap- 
sule, which  immediately  hardens  and  in  a  state  of  repose 
assumes  the  form  of  a  spherical  cell  surrounded  by  a  pro- 
tecting membrane." 

Now  what  would  you  do  under  similar  circumstances? 
If  someone  should  punch  you  with  a  crowbar  or  soak  you 


406     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OP  EVOLUTION 

in  acid,  would  you  not  also  become  irritable,  would  you 
not  begin  to  think  it  was  time  to  cover  yourself  with  a 
protecting  membrane?  That  is  just  what  the  amoeba 
does.  He  understands  how  to  make  and  carry  a  material 
along  with  him,  with  which  he  is  able  to  cover  his  body 
and  protect  himself  when  necessary  under  certain  dan- 
gerous circumstances  like  this.  To  be  in  position  and  to 
be  able  to  provide  for  such  emergencies  shows  an  extra- 
ordinary degree  of  intellect  and  foresight.  A  material 
must  be  discovered  and  made  and  carried  ready  at  hand, 
which  when  exposed  to  the  air  immediately  hardens  into 
a  protective  shell.  An  animal  who  can  conceive  the  idea, 
discover  and  make  the  substance  and  use  it  when  neces- 
sary, as  does  the  amoeba,  certainly  shows  skill  and  fore- 
sight of  a  high  degree.  We  have  no  reason  to  doubt  his 
intelligence,  for  as  Mr.  Haeckel  himself  states,  he  looks 
and  acts  in  every  way  like  the  animals  that  do  the  think- 
ing for  us,  so  if  Mr.  Haeckel  is  intelligent,  so  are  the  cells. 
When  the  cells  build  a  plant  or  animal  they  proceed 
in  the  same  manner  as  man  in  building  a  structure.  They 
build  all  the  parts  with  a  view  of  combining  them  all  into 
one  whole.  The  parts  are  made  to  work  in  combination 
with  every  other  part.  The  organs  of  the  body  are  in  that 
regard  like  the  skillful  combinations  found  in  the  arts  and 
industries  of  man.  The  diversity  of  functions  and  divi- 
sion of  labor  begin  with  the  production  of  organs  in  order 
to  take  care  of  the  different  wants  of  the  cell  colony.  To 
satisfy  these  wants  certain  labor  and  work  must  be  done 
and  each  organ  is  a  delegation  to  do  certain  and  special 
kinds  of  labor.  The  cells  working  together  in  the  in- 
dividual can  build  organs  to  a  certain  extent  and  purpose 
with  the  material  at  hand  and  man  can  extend  or  increase 
the  use  of  these  organs  with  other  material  obtained  from 
the  outside, — as  for  instance,  the  efficiency  of  the  hand  is 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  407 

increased  by  tools  of  different  kinds  for  digging,  striking, 
etc.  The  cell  builds  teeth  with  which  to  grind  the  food. 
Man  invented  another  scheme  on  a  larger  scale  for  the 
same  purpose,  the  mill.  The  cell  made  eyes  with  which 
to  see.  Man  extended  the  eyes'  efficiency  so  as  to  see  far- 
ther and  smaller  objects,  by  the  invention  of  microscope 
and  telescope.  The  cell  builds  organs  of  locomotion  to 
move  over  the  ground.  Man  invents  better  and  quicker 
methods  by  the  use  of  the  railroad  and  automobile. 

We  know  how  and  why  we  build  and  so  we  should 
know  how  and  why  the  cell  builds  because  we  are  one  and 
the  same.  In  our  memory  we  have  a  record  of  past 
events  and  experiences.  This  record  constitutes  what 
we  know — it  is  our  knowledge  and  our  intellect.  From 
this  past  record  of  experiences  we  form  judgments,  which 
determine  our  actions.  Every  being  must  act  from  ex- 
perience and  not  otherwise.  The  knowledge  and  expe- 
rience of  the  human  cell  is  only  that  of  building  the 
human  individual  and  in  the  memory  of  the  germ  cell 
there  is  a  record  of  the  experiences  of  building  and  guid- 
ing the  actions  of  countless  individuals  in  the  past  to- 
gether with  the  record  of  new  and  further  experience 
gathered  from  the  life  of  the  individual  from  which  it 
came.  That  all  the  cells  of  our  body  have  a  memory  sim- 
ilar to  our  thinking  cells  is  clearly  proven  by  the  fact  that 
we  can  teach  our  limbs  to  perform  acts  like  playing  a 
piano,  walking,  etc.,  and  when  they  have  learned  to  per- 
form these  acts  they  will  perform  them  without  troubling 
or  demanding  any  attention  from  our  thinking  cells  or 
consciousness.  By  consciousness  I  mean  those  cells  in 
charge  of  our  sense  organs,  which  we  also  call  us,  or  our- 
selves. Every  cell  must  be  a  conscious  and  intelligent 
being  as  well  in  one  place  of  the  body  as  in  the  other.  If 
certain  actions  are  performed  often  enough,  so  as  to  be 


408     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

a  prominent  part  in  the  records  of  the  individual's  past 
experience  or  memory,  those  actions  will  likely  reappear 
in  the  new  individual.  We  do  not  understand  how  the 
cell  is  able  to  take  and  keep  a  record  of  past  events  for 
future  use  (which  power  we  call  memory)  but  we  know 
this  to  be  a  fact.  From  this  fact  of  memory,  the  power 
to  use  the  records  of  the  past  to  guide  the  actions  in  the 
future,  we  are  able  to  clearly  understand  the  cause  of 
heredity,  evolution  and  progress.  Why  does  a  kernel  of 
corn  grow  into  a  corn  stalk  and  not  into  a  sunflower? 
Just  for  the  same  reason  that  a  carpenter  will  build  houses 
and  a  watchmaker  will  build  watches,  and  just  for  the 
same  reason  that  a  muskrat  will  build  huts  in  which  to 
live  over  the  water  while  the  squirrel  will  build  his  nest 
in  the  tree.  Stored  in  the  memory  is  a  record  of  past  ex- 
periences of  each  of  those  individuals.  The  corn  building 
cell  has  had  no  experience  in  building  the  sun  flower  nor 
has  the  squirrel  had  any  experience  in  building  houses 
over  the  water,  nor  has  the  carpenter  had  any  experience 
in  building  watches. 

Many  meaningless  words  have  been  invented, — for  in- 
stance, such  as  geotropic  and  heliotropic,  which  are  used 
to  express  certain  properties  of  plants ;  that  is  to  say,  the 
roots  of  plants  are  said  to  be  geotropic  because  they  grow 
downward  into  the  earth,  while  the  stem  and  branches 
are  said  to  be  heliotropic  because  they  grow  upward  into 
the  sunlight.  Now  the  fact  is,  there  are  no  such  things. 
The  root  is  not  compelled  to  grow  down  into  the  earth 
nor  the  stem  to  grow  up  towards  the  sunlight  by  reason 
of  anything  except  the  own  free  will  of  the  cells  or  build- 
ers. The  cells  building  the  roots  are  working  for  a  pur- 
pose and  that  is  to  get  down  into  the  ground  to  get  the 
minerals  for  building  material  and  the  cells  building  the 
stem  must  get  up  into  the  sunlight,  to  get  the  heat  which 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  409 

they  must  use  to  effect  chemical  action  in  the  manufacture 
of  the  different  kinds  of  building  material  and  food.  All 
the  cells  of  the  plant,  be  it  root  or  stem,  understand  their 
business  and  know  what  they  are  about  and  what  they 
want.  This  is  clearly  proven  by  the  fact  that  a  piece  of 
root  placed  in  the  ground  will  grow  in  both  directions 
and  so  will  a  piece  of  stem  or  branch.  The  cells  in  either 
place  in  the  root  or  stem  know  what  they  must  have  to 
develop  their  colony,  which  we  call  a  plant.  A  plant  is 
a  vast  colony  of  individual  cells,  working  together  to  per- 
petuate their  existence.  To  build  their  habitation  called 
a  plant,  they  must  have  building  material,  and  this  they 
produce  from  mixing  chemically  and  mechanically  the 
minerals  of  the  earth  and  the  elements  contained  in  air 
and  water.  The  cells  of  the  plant  building  the  root  going 
down  into  the  ground  for  minerals  are  no  more  geotropic 
than  a  professor  going  down  into  his  cellar  for  a  can  of 
sour  milk ;  nor  are  the  cells  building  the  stem  up  into  the 
sunlight  any  more  heliotropic  than  a  preacher  going  up 
into  his  garret  for  a  piece  of  dried  mutton.  They  all  act 
for  a  purpose. 

Such  is  the  case  also  with  the  polyps.  Any  part  of  them 
will  grow  into  a  complete  polyp.  It  is  clear  that  in  cer- 
tain cases  each  cell  from  the  entire  colony  of  cells  knows 
how  to  build  the  entire  animal  or  plant.  We  find  this 
to  be  the  case  until  the  animal  or  plant  becomes  very 
highly  organized  and  specialized,  and  then  we  find  certain 
cells  are  set  apart  for  the  specific  purpose  of  building  the 
individual  at  the  proper  time,  and  these  are  given,  as  you 
might  say,  a  special  training  and  college  course  in  the 
business. 

The  industries  of  the  bee  and  their  social  organization 
is  so  very  similar  to  that  of  the  cell  that  they  can  be  used 
to  illustrate  the  actions  of  the  cell  in  many  ways,  espe- 


410     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

cially  to  show  the  same  intellect  in  the  smaller  beings  or 
structures  as  in  the  larger.  For  instance  when  the  bees 
are  taken  south  to  perpetual  sunshine  they  quit  storing 
honey  for  the  winter.  Whole  communities  of  bees  some- 
times take  to  theft  and  live  by  robbing  other  hives,  just 
like  man  plundering  his  fellow  man,  and  they  will  de- 
stroy the  queen  first,  so  as  to  create  a  disturbance  and 
disorganization  among  the  workers. 

The  ants  rob  and  plunder  each  other,  take  each  other 
captive  as  slaves  and  compel  the  captives  to  do  all  the 
work  while  the  others  live  in  idleness  and  luxury.  It  is 
perfectly  natural  that  we  should  find  these  acts  purposive 
and  intelligent  to  the  same  degree  in  the  ants  and  bees 
as  in  man,  because  both  man  and  ant  are  put  together  and 
guided  by  the  same  individual,  the  cell.  The  cells  are  in- 
dividuals that  build  just  as  man  does  and  they  use  the 
same  matter  and  forces  in  the  production  of  their  differ- 
ent structures.  Man  has  been  and  is  today  studying  the 
various  building  schemes  and  methods  for  production  and 
protection  now  used  by  the  cell. 

The  cell  is  the  architect,  builder  and  guardian  of  all  liv- 
ing things  we  see  such  as  plants,  animals  and  man,  in  the 
same  manner  as  man  is  the  architect,  builder  and  guard- 
ian of  all  those  things  we  see  produced  by  him,  such  as 
houses,  railroads,  machines,  factories,  etc.  Because  man 
cannot  produce  a  microscope  powerful  enough  to  see  how 
the  cell  produces  all  his  different  structures  and  watch 
his  organs  perform  their  various  functions,  there  is  no 
reason  to  deny  the  facts  because  we  know  that  matter 
everywhere  in  the  universe  follows  fixed  laws  whether  it 
be  a  molecule,  atom,  grain  of  sand,  stone  or  brick.  Heat, 
light,  electricity,  gravitation,  chemical  affinity,  also  obey 
fixed  laws.  This  we  find  to  be  the  case  everywhere  in 
the  universe.  The  cell  interferes  with  the  laws  of  matter 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  411 

and  force  just  a's  man  does,  and  as  a  master  of  force  and 
matter,  he  compels  them  to  serve  him.  The  cell  colonies 
we  call  electric  fish  gather  and  store  electricity  in  pre- 
cisely the  same  manner  as  man.  The  cells  of  the  oyster 
build  strong  houses  of  the  microscopic  lime  and  mineral 
matter  that  they  gather  in  the  water  and  in  order  to  pro- 
duce the  required  hardness  they  are  compelled  to  employ 
the  aid  of  chemistry,  like  man. 

There  is  precisely  the  same  distinction  between  a  cell 
and  other  microscopic  dead  matter  as  there  is  between  a 
man  and  a  stone.  The  cell  is  a  thinking,  conscious,  in- 
telligent being  like  man.  How  can  he  be  anything  else 
when  we  consider  the  fact  that  we  are  but  a  colony  of 
these  beings?  There  is  no  cause  for  dividing  life  into 
animal  and  vegetable.  There  are  but  two  kingdoms,  the 
living  and  the  dead.  The  vegetable  and  animal  start 
alike  and  are  all  built  by  cells.  The  cell  colonies  produce 
those  structures  that  will  be  necessary  to  their  existence 
and  which  come  within  their  knowledge  and  experience, 
as  man  does. 

The  cells  manifest  all  the  functions  of  the  highest  life 
like  eating,  choosing,  digesting,  secreting,  working,  ex- 
creting and  generating.  Vegetable  building  cells  do  just 
the  same  thing  as  animal  building  cells  as  far  as  the  func- 
tions of  life  are  concerned.  Their  knowledge  and  expe- 
rience and  ability  to  produce  things  are  of  course  differ- 
ent, as  in  animals  and  man.  Every  cell  accommodates 
and  adapts  himself  to  the  work  to  be  done,  as  man  does. 
When  not  subject  to  pressure  the  cell  is  round,  but  when 
subject  to  pressure  he  takes  on  such  forms  as  allow  the 
most  freedom  and  give  the  most  efficiency  in  accomplish- 
ing his  work.  Thus  we  see  him  everywhere  manifesting 
the  same  reason  and  actions  as  man.  The  male  cell  of 
animals  in  his  preparation  to  meet,  and  in  his  effort  to 


412     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

find  the  female  cell  shows  the  same  wisdom,  foresight  and 
intelligence  as  the  smartest  general  in  the  army.  The 
centrosome  or  general  manager  of  the  cell  body  in  his 
careful  management  of  the  division  of  the  cell  body  shows 
the  same  foresight  and  intelligence.  His  forces  are  wisely 
conserved  and  correctly  used.  In  the  face  of  these  clearly 
and  wonderfully  intelligent  acts,  it  is  absurd  to  use  such 
words  as  "instinct,"  "heliotropism"  and  "Natural  Law." 
Anyone  who  can  see  any  explanation  in  such  words  and 
phrases  is  clearly  lacking  in  the  power  to  correctly  ob- 
serve things.  It  is  just  as  sensible  to  say  that  man  is  able 
to  produce  his  battleships,  etc.,  by  reason  of  his  "instinct" 
or  that  he  goes  to  a  banquet  by  reason  of  his  "heliotropism 
or  that  he  writes  a  book  by  reason  of  natural  law."  The 
difference  between  the  living  and  the  dead  is  clear  and 
certain.  The  science  of  chemistry  has  proven  that  atoms 
and  molecules  of  matter  must  obey  fixed  laws  in  just  the 
same  manner  as  the  larger  particles  of  matter  like  grains 
of  sand  or  stones  and  bricks,  that  everywhere  in  the  uni- 
verse matter  does,  always  has  and  always  will  follow 
fixed  laws. 

Based  upon  these  facts  man  can  now  produce  a  large 
number  of  things  contained  in  the  body  and  found  in  liv- 
ing structures,  such  as  carbon  compounds  and  many 
others.  We  must,  however,  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that 
these  are  not  the  cell  itself,  not  the  living  beings  them- 
selves. These  chemical  compounds  are  the  productions 
of  the  cell  for  his  own  use  and  purpose.  We  must  remem- 
ber that  the  cells  cannot  produce  them  for  his  own  use  in 
any  different  manner  than  man.  The  cell  or  man  must 
follow  and  observe  the  fixed  laws  of  matter  and  force  in 
order  to  be  able  to  produce  the  particular  article  desired. 
The  same  laws  must  be  observed  in  handling  atoms  and 
molecules  as  in  handling  mortar,  bricks  or  electricity. 


CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION  413 

The  same  reason,  consciousness,  and  intellect  must  be 
there  to  guide  matter  and  force  in  the  microscopic  world 
as  well  as  in  our  world.  Knowing  and  observing  the  laws 
of  matter,  man  can  mix  certain  materials  like  cement  and 
sand  and  produce  a  concrete,  in  similar  manner  the  cell, 
knowing  and  observing  the  same  laws,  can  mix  lime  and 
other  materials  and  produce  a  shell,  and  knowing  and  ob- 
serving the  laws  of  matter,  man  can  make  a  substance 
that,  when  forced  through  capillary  holes,  will  harden 
when  exposed  to  the  air  and  when  wound  into  threads 
will  be  artificial  silk.  The  cells  in  silk  worms  produce 
the  real  thing  in  exactly  the  same  manner.  We  imitate 
and  follow  the  process  used  and  observed  by  the  cells  in 
the  silk  worm,  step  by  step.  The  production  of  the  silk, 
whether  done  by  the  cell  or  man,  involves  a  knowledge  of 
chemistry  and  mechanics  and  requires  intelligence. 

Each  in  his  place  could  produce  nothing  without  knowl- 
edge, experience  and  intellect.  I  could  go  on  indefinitely 
in  this  manner  and  compare  the  action  and  production  of 
man  and  cell  and  show  the  exact  similarity.  The  hard 
frames  of  trees  and  plants  and  animals  and  tough  pro- 
tecting covers  of  trees,  plants  and  animals  are  produced 
by  the  cell  colonies  for  their  use  and  purpose,  to  protect 
themselves,  in  precisely  the  same  manner  as  man  pro- 
duces his  houses,  clothing,  etc.,  to  resist  and  protect  him- 
self from  enemies  and  the  elements. 

The  intelligence  of  man  is  inferior  to  that  of. the  cell 
because  he  must  learn  and  get  his  advice  from  the  cell. 
We  can  see  that  the  cell  understands  how  to  handle  the 
different  forces  in  nature  like  heat,  light,  sound,  electric- 
ity, motion,  etc.  They  use  these  forces  for  this  and  that 
purpose  to  produce  certain  desired  results  just  as  man 
does.  They  make  and  use  heat  to  warm  up  their  habita- 
tions. They  make  a  light  to  guide  their  actions,  and  elec- 


414  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

tricity  for  both  offensive  and  defensive  purposes.  We 
find  the  cell  employing  all  these  blind  forces  also  before 
he  discovered  the  advantages  of  social  life  and  while  he 
was  living  the  life  of  the  savage.  We  see  the  cell  living 
the  single  separate  life  of  the  savage  today  and  we  see  him 
make  darts  and  arrows.  We  see  him  go  hunting  for  his 
food.  We  see  him  begin  the  social  life  as  in  the  Volvox 
and  sponges.  We  see  him  develop  social  habits.  We 
see  him  finally  in  the  highly  organized  colonies  of  cells, 
such  as  plants  and  animals.  We  see  him  in  this  highly 
organized  social  state  build  antlers  on  the  deer.  We  see 
him  build  the  fly  traps  on  plants.  We  see  him  tear  down 
and  dismantle  the  caterpillar  and  with  the  same  material 
build  a  flying  machine  we  call  butterfly,  and  we  see  him 
paint  the  wings  and  body  of  his  flying  machine,  so  as  to  be 
able  to  deceive  all  his  enemies.  We  see  him  do  all  these 
things  and  we  are  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  if  man  is 
intelligent  so  is  the  cell.  We  are  forced  to  the  conclusion 
that  if  man  produced  his  various  structures  by  reason  of 
intellect,  then  the  cell  also  produced  his  analagous  struc- 
tures by  reason  of  intellect.  There  can  be  no  distinction. 


CHAPTER  10. 
CONCLUSIONS. 

We  have  now  investigated  and  discussed  so  many 
points  tending  to  show  what  plants  and  animals  really 
are,  that  I  shall  close  with  this  chapter,  and  state  what 
I  think  should  be  the  natural  conclusions  from  the  facts 
at  hand. 

We  shall  take  a  general  survey  of  the  whole  situation 
again,  and  see  if  we  are  not  forced  to  admit  that  all  plants 
and  animals  are  built  by  and  for  the  cells,  in  precisely 
the  same  manner  that  the  structures  produced  by  man  are 
also  produced  by  and  for  men ;  that  the  cause  of  man's 
ability  to  produce  houses,  railroads,  ships  and  other  struc- 
tures is  the  fact  that  he  is  intelligent ;  that  the  cell  also 
is  so  in  no  less  degree.  In  fact  I  believe  that  the  cells 
living  singly,  like  the  cells  that  make  weapons  to  kill 
their  prey  at  a  distance,  and  many  social  cells  like  those 
who  build  climbing  plants,  and  also  those  who  build  and 
invent  contrivances  with  which  to  catch  and  poison  large 
animals  like  deer,  camels  and  even  lions,  have  a  keener 
intellect  than  man. 

We  remember  how  Dixon  showed  that  plant  building 
cells  must  have  not  only  all  of  the  five  senses  that  we 
have  but  also  two  more  which  he  called  psychic  and 
physical  sense,  because  it  is  a  fact  that  some  climbing 
plants  will  creep  towards  the  nearest  support,  and  if  the 


416     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

support  is  shifted  several  feet  from  its  former  position, 
the  vine  will  within  a  few  hours  change  its  course,  in  the 
new  direction.  This  it  will  do  even  if  the  view  of  the 
support  is  obscured  and  concealed  by  ridges  of  earth. 

How  do  we  account  for  the  "homing  instinct"  in  the 
pigeons  and  the  bee?  We  say  we  do  not  understand  it; 
we  give  it  a  name,  call  it  instinct,  act  wise,  and  say  that 
those  instinctive  acts  were  at  one  time  performed  with 
a  conscious  intelligence  and  were  repeated  until  they 
became  automatic  and  instinctive.  This  method  of  ex- 
plaining something  not  understood  by  giving  it  a  name, 
leads  only  to  confusion.  If  these  plants  and  pigeons  have 
a  sense  and  intellect  that  we  do  not  have  nor  do  not  un- 
derstand, why  not  admit  it?  If  instinctive  acts  are  in- 
telligent,— which  fact  they  now  admit, — why  do  they  not 
admit  also  that  they  are  intelligent  whether  produced  by 
plant,  animal  or  man? 

We  have  not  the  ability  to  penetrate  into  the  future 
and  the  unknown,  but  we  should  apply  common  sense  to 
what  we  do  know.  The  idea  that  there  is  nothing  in  life 
but  matter  and  force  I  do  not  believe  has  been  proven,  but 
is  yet  apparently  without  foundation.  We  find  matter 
and  force  in  the  organic  world ;  they  follow  fixed  laws. 
In  the  organic  or  living  world,  we  find  matter,  force  and 
intelligence.  If  the  living  things  defy  the  natural  forces, 
and  act  differently  and  only  for  themselves,  we  must 
admit  the  fact  that  life  or  living  things  are  directed  by 
an  intelligent  force.  As  far  as  we  have  explored  the  ac- 
tions of  natural  forces  from  the  molecule  to  the  distant 
solar  systems,  matter  and  force  obey  fixed  laws.  In 
life  we  find  all  living  beings  from  the  cell  to  man  moving 
contrary  to  the  fixed  laws  of  matter  and  force.  They 
control  and  direct  matter  and  force  for  their  own  pur- 
pose. The  fixed  laws  of  gravitation  cause  all  water  in 


CONCLUSIONS  417 

streams  to  run  into  the  ocean.  The  intelligence  of  man 
and  the  beaver  can  stop  and  compel  the  water  to  wait, 
and  to  serve  man  or  beaver  in  building-  houses,  dams  or 
irrigation  works. 

Some  people  claim  for  the  cell  only  irritability  and  not 
intelligence.  The  word  irritability  is  meaningless.  They 
poke  a  needle  into  a  cell,  or  pour  acid  on  him  and  when 
he  jumps  around  trying  to  escape  or  defend  himself,  they 
say  he  is  irritable.  Such  experiments  and  expressions 
are  pure  nonsense.  You  tie  any  man  down,  and  poke  his 
naked  body  with  sharp  iron  bars,  and  burn  him  with  acids 
and  poisons  and  his  actions  would  also  be  irritable,  what- 
ever may  be  understood  by  that  word. 

The  actions  of  the  cell  when  examined  in  his  natural 
habitat  show  the  same  intelligence  and  foresight  as  man. 
Think  of  the  amoeba,  carrying  with  him  material  with 
which  he  can  make  a  coat  of  armor  and  cover  himself 
when  necessary  for  self  preservation.  Whether  this  ani- 
mal we  call  cell  or  amoeba  came  to  exist  by  a  chance 
assemblage  of  matter  or  not  we  do  not  yet  know.  It  took 
place  ages  ago,  before  any  plants  or  animals  existed.  We 
find  the  same  struggle  for  existence  down  on  the  lower 
plane  of  life  in  the  microscopic  world  where  the  cells  live 
as  we  do  in  the  life  of  the  larger  beings  of  plants  and 
animals. 

It  is  not  necessary  in  discussing  the  question  at  hand 
to  know  how  the  cell  came  into  existence.  We  are  con- 
cerned at  this  time  with  the  questions,  who  produces 
plants  and  animals,  and  how  is  it  done.  From  careful 
investigation  of  all  the  facts,  it  must  be  answered  that 
the  cell  produces  plants  and  animals  precisely  in  the  same 
manner  as  man  produces  houses,  ships  and  railroads. 

The  magnitude  of  the  work  done  by  the  cell  in  the 
past  ages  as  evidenced  by  the  coal  deposits  and  fossil 


418  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

remains,  shows  the  enormous  length  of  time  in  which  he 
has  been  engaged  in  battle  with  the  elements  in  his  strug- 
gle for  existence.  The  cells  like  other  animals  are  of 
different  sizes ;  they  live  on  and  off  each  other  in  the  same 
manner  as  plants,  animals  and  man  do ;  the  larger  devour 
the  smaller.  The  amoeba,  which  most  resembles  the  man 
building  cell,  is  among  the  largest.  The  organic  material 
we  need  for  food  and  clothing  is  manufactured  by  the  cells 
in  plants  and  animals  from  other  raw  material  in  the  soil, 
water  and  air.  The  material  generally  used  is  water, 
salts,  carbonic  acid  and  ammonia.  The  plant,  cells  can 
combine  carbon,  hydrogen,  oxygen,  and  nitrogen  to  form 
these  substances  known  as  fats,  sugar,  starch  and  other 
carbohydrates. 

The  cell  uses  the  heat  of  the  sun  to  separate  the  oxy- 
gen from  the  carbon  and  the  nitrogen  from  the  hydrogen 
in  the  manufacture  of  sugar,  oil,  starch  and  other  carbo- 
hydrates and  which  may  be  again  reconverted  into  heat 
by  burning  in  the  animal  fire  or  in  the  open  fire.  The 
only  beings  in  the  world  that  can  and  know  how  to  do 
these  things,  how  to  manufacture  these  things  we  need, 
are  the  cells  that,  build  plants.  Man  is  bending  his  ener- 
gies in  the  effort  to  discover  and  grasp  the  secrets  from 
the  cell.  Think  what  a  change  in  the  world  when  the 
secret  is  discovered,  when  man  can  change  the  crude  ele- 
ments into  sugar,  starch  and  oil  for  food. 

We  have  made  a  beginning,  as  we  have  already  dis- 
covered how  to  extract  the  nitrogen  from  the  air  and 
many  other  things  made  by  the  cell.  You  see  it  is  the 
same  with  the  cell  as  with  man,  if  anything  is  to  be  done, 
the  cell  must  do  it.  His  intelligence  must  be  there  to 
guide  and  direct  matter  and  force  in  such  a  way  as  to 
effect  certain  results. 

If  no  intelligence  is  there  to  guide  it,  matter  will  al- 


CONCLUSIONS  419 

ways  follow  fixed  laws.  Air  will  stay  air  and  water  will 
remain  water.  The  intelligence  of  man  is  necessary  to 
control,  guide,  direct  and  arrange  the  blind  forces  and 
dead  matter  to  effect  the  results  desired,  as  in  the  manu- 
facturing of  nitrogen,  or  extracting  it  from  the  air.  It 
is  also  equally  necessary  to  have  the  same  guiding  in- 
telligence in  the  production  of  this  same  material  by  the 
cell.  If  you  furnish  the  hen  building  cells  with  lime,  they 
will  cover  the  eggs  with  a  shell.  The  cell  can  not  pro- 
duce anything  by  magic  any  more  than  man.  The  mate- 
rial must  be  at  hand,  but  the  material  alone  will  produce 
nothing.  Some  intelligent  being  must  arrange  or  direct 
the  arrangement  of  the  raw  materials,  before  we  get  the 
production  of  the  structures. 

The  forces  of  magnetism,  electricity,  light,  heat,  and 
motion  follow  fixed  laws.  The  cell  takes  advantage  of 
these  laws  just  as  man  does  and  by  so  doing  produces 
the  food  and  building  material  which  he  needs.  The  cell 
is  no  chance  product,  he  is  a  living  conscious  being. 
Watch  him  under  the  microscope ;  watch  his  movements 
in  the  water,  how  he  darts  about  in  search  for  food,  and 
how  he  regulates  his  speed,  so  as  to  avoid  colliding  with 
other  cells;  watch  him  as  he  chooses  this  food 'and  rejects 
the  other,  and  you  will  be  forced  to  admit  that  his  actions 
are  voluntary  and  those  of  an  intelligent  being. 

The  cell  has  the  same  work  to  perform  as  man.  He 
must  provide  himself  with  food  and  cover.  He  must  take 
in  food  and  dispose  of  waste  matter.  He  must  exercise 
all  the  bodily  functions  of  man,  such  as  respiration,  cir- 
culation, movement  and  excretion. 

We  delude  ourselves  with  the  idea  that  intelligence 
can  only  exist  where  there  is  a  brain  and  nervous  system. 
We  must  remember  that  man,  animal  or  plant  is  only  a 
colony  of  cells  and  that  plants  with  neither  brain,  nerves 


420     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

nor  muscles  can  think  and  invent  traps  with  which  to 
catch  insects,  showing  the  most  extraordinary  skill  and 
inventive  genius. 

As  soon  as  the  insect  gets  far  enough  inside  the  trap, 
the  signal  to  slam  the  trap  shut  is  given  and  the  insect 
is  caught.  The  plant  cell  then  cuts  him  up  into  micro- 
scopic particles  with  an  acid  combination  called  gastric 
juice  and  the  cells  eat  the  insect. 

In  the  plant  called  Sundew,  the  trap  is  also  set  and 
baited.  The  tentacles  of  this  plant  all  work  together, 
pushing  the  helpless  insect  towards  the  center  where  it 
is  treated  in  a  similar  manner.  It  is  digested  with  a  liquid 
similar  to  the  gastric  juice  of  man.  If  anything  touches 
those  traps  which  is  not  good  to  eat,  they  get  rid  of  it  in 
the  best  way  they  can  and  pay  no  attention  to  it. 

These  actions  are  in  every  detail  the  same  as  those  of 
intelligent  man  would  be  under  similar  circumstances. 
The  individual  directing  the  actions  of  that  part  of  the 
plant  composing  the  fly-trap  show  the*  highest  degree  of 
skill.  The  fly-trap  is  no  chance  product.  It  is  a  carefully 
considered,  well-ordered  scheme  and  arrangement,  cal- 
culated and  designed  to  effect  a  certain  purpose.  The 
forces  at  work  here  catching  the  foxy  insects  are  no  blind 
chance  forces,  they  are  intelligently  controlled  and  di- 
rected. 

We  have  investigated  the  effects  of  all  the  material 
forces,  such  as  gravity,  electricity,  chemical  action,  light, 
heat,  cold,  wind,  water,  etc.,  and  we  have  found  that  life 
is  not  any  of  these  forces,  but  that  the  cell  is  affected  by 
these  forces  in  precisely  the  same  manner  as  man,  ani- 
mals or  plants.  It  is  of  course  only  what  we  should  ex- 
pect, as  all  plants  and  animals  are  colonies  of  cells,  and 
the  cell  could  not  be  affected  by  these  forces  any  differ- 
ently in  one  place  than  in  another. 


CONCLUSIONS  421 

We  have  also  found  that  the  cell  uses  the  raw  material 
and  natural  forces  to  build  and  produce  his  structures, 
fight  his  enemies  and  assist  him  in  his  struggle  for  exist- 
ence, in  precisely  the  same  manner  as  plants,  animals 
and  man  do.  This  too,  of  course,  is  what  we  should  ex- 
pect to  find,  when  we  consider  what  the  cell  is  and  that 
he  is  the  one  who  made  us  and  directs  our  actions.  His 
desires  and  needs  must  be,  and  are  the  same  in  one  place 
as  in  another.  Life,  we  see,  is  produced  by  the  activities 
of  the  cell. 

Consider  how  the  cells  live  a  separate  parasitic  life  in 
the  sex  organs  of  plants  and  animals,  taking  no  part  in 
the  general  work  of  the  body.  They  live  a  college  life, 
taking  a  preparatory  course,  and  in  the  meantime  they  are 
fed  and  taken  care  of  by  the  other  cells  of  the  body.  The 
cell  performs  all  the  work  done  in  the  body.  The  muscle 
cells  do  the  hard  work  of  pulling.  The  gland  cells  pro- 
duce the  different  kinds  of  secretions,  like  milk,  tears, 
oil,  saliva,  digestive  juices,  etc.  The  white  cells,  blood 
cells,  lymph  cells  bring  and  carry  away  material,  and  the 
brain  cells  and  nerve  cells  do  the  thinking  and  directing. 
The  intelligence  in  man,  as  well  as  in  the  cell,  is  neces- 
sary to  direct  matter  and  natural  forces.  The  whole 
fabric  of  man's  civilization,  as  well  as  that  of  the  cell  col- 
onies we  call  plants  and  animals,  would  collapse  if  this 
guiding  intelligence  was  destroyed. 

We  should  also  remember  that  the  cell  is  a  highly  or- 
ganized individual,  having  all  the  special  organs  required 
to  perform  all  the  functions  necessary  to  the  life  of  plants 
and  animals,  and  having  in  addition  other  special  organs, 
the  use  of  which  is  not  yet  understood  by  man.  It  is  very 
likely  that  the  cell  has  some  special  sense  organs  which 
give  him  a  different  and  a  superior  intellect  to  our  own. 
This  is  evidenced  by  some  animals,  insects  and  birds 


422     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

possessing  special  powers,  like  for  instance  the  "homing 
instinct"  in  pigeons,  which  enables  them  to  find  their 
home  under  such  circumstances  as  would  seem  impossi- 
ble to  a  human  being. 

We  know  that  some  cells  have  a  special  machine  and 
apparatus  with  which  they  can  make  their  own  food  from 
the  crude  material  of  earth,  air  and  water,  like  fats, 
starches  and  sugar.  We  can  see  the  machine  and  see  it 
produce  the  starch,  but  we  can  not  see  how  they  do  it. 
We  know  that  they  use  the  heat  from  the  sun  as  a  force 
in  the  same  manner  as  we  use  coal  in  the  forges  and  fur- 
naces of  our  factories.  We  use  heat  to  create  a  mole- 
cular disturbance  in  matter,  just  as  they  do,  but  on  a  much 
larger  scale. 

All  the  structures  made  by  cells,  just  as  those  made  by 
man,  show  a  purpose,  intention  and  design.  The  bird  is 
made  to  fly,  the  deer  to  run,  the  fish  to  swim.  The  feet 
of  land  animals  are  specially  constructed  to  suit  require- 
ments. 

Some  evolutionists  claim  that  environments  produce 
organs ;  that  cold  climate  will  grow  hair ;  that  the  parti- 
cles flying  in  the  air  will  produce  a  nose ;  that  the  vibra- 
tion of  air  will  build  the  ear,  and  the  vibration  of  light 
will  make  the  eye.  In  like  manner,  they  claim  that  the 
ground  produces  the  organs  of  walking,  the  air,  the  wings, 
and  the  water,  the  fins  on  the  fish.  Now  this  idea  is  ab- 
surd; environment  will  produce  nothing;  if  anything  is 
to  be  produced  the  cell  must  produce  it.  This  can  be 
clearly  demonstrated  by  certain  experiments  heretofore 
referred  to.  The  hair  on  an  animal  will  grow  when  it 
is  necessary  to  protect  the  animal  from  the  weather.  If 
the  animal  in  a  cold  climate  is  kept  indoors  or  covered 
with  clothes  the  hair  will  not  grow.  It  is  the  same  with 
the  callous  on  your  hands  or  feet.  You  or  the  cells  in  you 


CONCLUSIONS  423 

must  provide  something  on  the  bottom  of  your  feet  or  on 
your  hands,  to  prevent  the  wearing  into  the  flesh.  If  you 
protect  the  bottom  of  your  feet  with  sole  leather  or  your 
hands  with  gloves,  no  callous  to  speak  of  will  grow.  The 
intelligence  of  man  or  cell  will  produce  a  protecting  cover 
for  your  feet  or  hands,  but  the  ground  will  not  do  it. 

It  is  clear  that  bees,  ants,  spiders,  birds  and  animals 
can  no  more  build  their  houses,  provide  their  food  and 
carry  on  their  various  domestic  activities  without  con- 
scious intelligence  than  man  can  build  his  houses  and 
provide  his  food  without  intelligence.  The  actions  of  the 
plant  catching  an  insect  and  the  actions  of  man  catching 
a  rat  are  identical.  The  actions  in  either  case  are  directed 
by  an  intelligent  designer  and  builder. 

A  plant  has  neither  nerves,  muscles  or  brain,  as  we  un- 
derstand those  terms ;  it  has,  however,  the  same  beings, 
the  cells.  The  cell  is  the  builder  and  caretaker,  and  we 
find  the  same  purposive  and  intelligent  acts  in  a  plant  as 
we  do  in  an  animal.  The  old  notion  that  only  man  acts 
from  reason,  and  that  other  animals  act  without  reason, 
is  simply  foolish.  They  prove  that  instinct  has  arisen 
from  conscious  intelligence,  by  the  fact  that  the  acts  of 
walking  and  playing  a  piano,  etc.,  are  first  directed  by  our 
conscious  intelligence,  and  after  they  are  learned,  they 
become,  as  they  say,  automatic,  reflex  or  instinctive,  or 
habitual.  Let  them  call  it  what  they  please,  the  fact  is 
that  our  hands  and  limbs  are  trained  and  instructed,  and 
as  soon  as  the  muscle  cells  and  nerve  cells  in  charge  learn 
what  there  is  to  do,  they  take  care  of  the  work,  permitting 
the  cells  in  charge  of  our  sense  organs  to  do  something 
else  more  important. 

Every  cell  of  your  body  has  the  power  to  remember 
and  learn,  just  as  the  cell  in  your  brain.  The  honey  comb 
of  the  bee,  the  dwellings  of  the  ants,  and  the  nests  of  the 


424     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

birds  are  marvelous  works  of  art.  They  admit  that  these 
structures  are  wonders  in  design  and  architecture,  but 
that  the  beings  producing  them  have  no  intelligence  now, 
but  that  at  some  time  in  the  distant  past,  these  acts  were 
performed  with  intelligence  so  long  that  they  finally  be- 
came a  habit,  automatic  and  instinctive.  Can  anyone 
comprehend  how  or  when  any  animal,  including  man,  was 
any  more  intelligent  than  he  is  today.  It  is  nonsense. 
To  say  that  a  bird  or  an  animal  performs  intelligent  pur- 
posive acts  blindly,  is  only  playing  with  words.  The  acts 
of  a  being  performed  with  precision  and  certainty  to 
effect  a  certain  purpose,  are  not  done  accidentally  nor 
blindly,  any  more  in  the  case  of  one  kind  of  being  than 
in  another.  When  the  insect,  fly  or  beetle,  gets  inside  of 
the  trap  of  the  plant  called  Venus  fly-trap,  the  trap  snaps 
shut  and  holds  him.  The  plant  or  rather  the  cells  in 
charge  of  the  trap  are  notified  that  he  is  far  enough  inside 
of  the  trap,  and  so  they  slam  it  shut ;  as  soon  as  the  insect 
is  caught,  gastric  juice  is  made  to  flow  over  him  and 
digest  him ;  when  the  insect  is  eaten,  the  trap  is  again 
opened  and  set  for  a  new  victim.  If  this  plant  is  fooled 
by  a  substance  not  food,  it  will  not  catch  it,  nor  will  it 
try  to  digest  it.  The  cells  in  the  plant  can  distinguish  and 
choose  what  they  want.  Can  intelligent  man  build  and 
operate  a  trap  any  better,  or  show  any  more  intelligence? 
The  structure  produced,  occupied  and  operated  by  these 
cells  has  no  blood,  bones,  nerves  or  brain  like  man,  but 
the  beings  who  direct  the  actions  of  this  structure  are  the 
same  and  can  not  be  distinguished  from  the  others  in 
general  appearance  under  the  microscope.  If  the  cells 
of  man  and  the  cells  of  a  plant  look  alike  and  act  alike, 
why  should  one  be  any  more  intelligent  than  the  other. 
The  cell  builds  everything  just  as  a  highly  skilled  man 
or  an  architect  does. 


CONCLUSIONS  425 

The  mind  which  controls  the  actions  of  insects,  ants 
and  animals,  including  man,  is  the  mind  of  the  cell.  It  is 
this  master  mind  that  directs  all  living  things,  plants 
or  animals ;  therefore,  we  find  about  the  same  degree  of 
intelligence  in  all  these  structures.  If  you  place  mustard 
or  acid  on  the  thigh  of  a  headless  frog,  it  will  scrape  it  off. 
It  will  try  with  one  foot  first,  and  should  that  foot  be  re- 
moved or  hindered,  it  will  attempt  to  scrape  it  off  with 
the  other  foot.  This  simply  shows  that  the  brain  or  head 
is  not  necessary  in  order  to  give  intelligent  directions  and 
orders  to  the  limbs,  and  that  intelligence  resides  in  every 
cell.  The  digestive  system,  the  circulatory  system,  the 
respiratory  system  and  the  lymphatic  system  are  all  spe- 
cial departments  looked  after  in  our  bodies  by  cells,  who 
have  each  their  special  and  specific  work  to  do.  All  such 
work  requires  the  conscious  intelligent  directing  of  some 
cell.  The  star-fish,  for  instance,  has  no  brain,  but  his 
acts  are  as  intelligent  as  any  other  animal's,  considering 
his  habitat,  environment  and  place  in  life.  In  fact  volun- 
tary movements  take  place  in  plants  and  animals  whether 
there  is  any  brain  or  not.  It  is  very  clear  that  no  brain  is 
necessary. 

The  cells,  plants  and  animals,  manage  each  their  own 
affairs,  in  spite  of  the  interference  of  the  elements.  They 
employ  matter  and  force  in  building  up  their  different 
structures,  and  they  control  and  direct  the  force  and  mat- 
ter employed.  They  select  some  elements  and  reject 
others ;  they  override  and  suppress  some  physical  forces 
and  employ  others,  as  circumstances  require.  A  plant 
will  grow  upward  in  spite  of  the  force  of  gravitation,  if 
it  is  necessary  that  it  get  the  aid  of  sunlight..  The  forces 
of  attraction,  repulsion,  capillarity,  adhesion,  etc.,  are 
taken  advantage  of  and  employed  freely  by  cell,  plant, 
animal  or  man.  The  fossil  remains  of  plants  and  animals, 


426    CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

like  the  ruins  of  old  cities,  dwellings  and  tools  once  used 
by  man,  are  a  record  and  history  of  the  past  ages  where 
each  one  can  read  and  study  for  himself  what  has  taken 
place  in  the  past  history  of  life.  These  ruins,  however, 
are  in  no  wise  as  interesting  as  the  living  beings  which 
have  left  no  ruins,  like  insect  life  and  others. 

Let  us  consider  for  a  moment  the  subject  of  protective 
coloring.  Some  caterpillars  not  only  color  themselves 
the  color  of  the  objects  on  which  they  rest,  but  in  many 
cases  they  change  their  shape  so  as  to  simulate  some  other 
object,  like  leaves,  twigs,  etc.  This  illustration  by  Mr. 
Schulte  (Fig.  50)  is  a  good  example  of  what  they  can  do. 
You  notice  in  this  picture  how  closely  the  caterpillar  is 
able  to  imitate  a  young  twig,  both  in  color,  size  and  gen- 
eral appearance.  Man  has  just  begun  to  understand  the 
great  advantage  of  using  these  tricks  of  protective  color- 
ing to  deceive  his  enemies  in  battle.  Colors  intended  to 
deceive  the  enemy  are  now  being  used  on  battleships, 
soldiers  and  artillery.  The  cell  which  builds  and  directs 
this  caterpillar  and  the  cell  which  builds  and  directs  the 
actions  of  man,  cannot  be  distinguished,  one  from  the 
other,  under  the  most  powerful  microscope.  There  can 
be  no  difference  between  the  purpose,  wisdom  and  fore- 
sight exhibited  by  the  actions  of  this  caterpillar  and  the 
purpose,  wisdom  and  foresight  exhibited  by  the  actions 
of  man,  when  he  covers  his  body  or  machine  gun  to  de- 
ceive the  enemy.  The  actors  look  alike  and  their  actions 
are  alike.  Plants  as  well  as  animals  take  stock  of  and 
comprehend  their  situation  and  environments.  In  this 
respect  there  is  no  difference  in  cells,  plants  or  animals, 
each  will  change  and  modify  itself  to  surroundings. 

Some  claim  that  life  is  caused  by  chemical  action,  that 
life  is  purely  a  chemical  action  of  matter.  It  is  useless 
to  guess  as  to  the  first  cause  of  life.  We  are  concerned 


CONCLUSIONS  427 

first  about  the  cause  of  plants  and  animals,  we  must  first 
understand  plainly  the  cause  of  them  and  then  it  will  be 
time  to  begin  to  understand  the  cause  of  the  cell.  In 
order  to  understand  who  builds  skyscrapers  and  railroads, 
it  is  not  necessary  to  understand  who  built  man.  The 
fact  which  I  wish  to  make  clear  in  this  book  is  that  the 
cell  builds  all  living  things  we  see,  and  the  reason  that 
he  is  able  to  do  so  is  the  fact  that  he  is  an  intelligent  being. 
The  cell  is  a  self  directed,  self  acting,  intelligent  and  ag- 
gressive being,  superior  to  his  surroundings  and  able  to 
direct  and  control  matter  and  the  forces  of  nature  just  as 
man  can.  We  find  him  so  at  this  time ;  what  he  has  been 
or  was  in  the  beginning,  millions  of  years  ago,  we  do  not 
yet  know  or  understand,  perhaps  some  day  we  shall. 

The  idea  that  climate  will  produce  fat  and  fur  on  ani- 
mals in  the  frozen  North,  is  foolish.  These  things  are  pro- 
duced for  a  purpose  by  the  beings  or  cells  which  built  the 
animals.  Water  will  not  produce  the  swimming  appara- 
tus on  a  fish  any  more  than  it  will  produce  a  propeller  on 
a  steamship.  Back  of  all  these  structures,  there  must  be 
some  one  who  can  direct  and  form  blind  forces  and  crude 
matter  to  effect  the  desired  purpose.  In  walking,  my  acts 
can  be  directed  either  by  my  brain  cells  or  by  the  cells  in 
my  spine.  In  either  case  the  actions  are  intelligent.  The 
movements,  whether  directed  by  the  one  or  the  other,  re- 
quire the  conscious  intelligence  of  some  one.  This  some 
one  must  be  somewhere. 

A  great  number  of  educated  people  of  late  have  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  nearly  all  animals  reason.  If  they 
would  investigate  and  stop  to  think,  they  would  soon  be 
convinced  that  not  only  do  animals  reason  but  also  plants 
because  they  are  both  produced  and  occupied  by  the  same 
beings.  The  idea  that  some  actions  are  reflex,  automatic 
and  instinctive  because  performed  by  animals  is  without 


428     CELL,  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

foundation.  There  are  hundreds  of  plants  now  known 
which  catch  and  devour  insects  with  as  much  skill  and 
dexterity  as  man  catches  the  larger  animals.  The  com- 
mon cell  called  the  amoeba  which  lives  in  fresh  water 
ponds,  and  which  most  closely  resembles  the  man  build- 
ing cells,  is  no  fool.  He  looks  simple  but  he  is  not  any 
more  simple  than  a  human  being.  He  eats,  drinks, 
breathes  and  moves  from  place  to  place.  He  knows  what 
he  wants  to  eat,  because  he  chooses  one  kind  of  fpod  and 
rejects  the  other.  He  carries  with  him  a  concealed  coat 
or  armor  with  which  he  can  cover  his  body  in  case  of 
drought  or  other  danger,  and  which  he  removes  when  the 
water  comes  back  or  danger  is  removed.  Where  does 
man  show  any  more  mechanical  skill  or  foresight  than 
does  this  amoeba,  the  primitive  ancestor  of  man? 

We  must  not  forget  what  the  intellect  in  man  is  under- 
stood to  be.  Webster  defines  it  as  that  "Faculty  of  the 
human  soul  or  mind  which  receives  or  comprehends  the 
ideas  communicated  to  it  by  the  senses."  You  will  notice 
from  this  that  the  intellect  is  considered  to  be  those 
groups  of  cells  connected  with  your  sense  organs  which 
receive  the  information  and  do  the  thinking.  The  five 
senses  are  the  instruments  by  which  the  brain  cells  ob- 
tain information  from  the  outside  world,  they  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with  the  thinking.  The  cells  inside  of  the  man 
do  the  thinking,  and  not  the  man,  just  as  it  is  the  man 
inside  of  the  ship  or  submarine  that  thinks  and  directs  its 
actions  and  not  the  ship  or  the  submarine.  We  speak 
of  the  ship  "Maine"  as  an  individual,  doing  this  or  that, 
forgetting  that  it  is  not  the  ship  which  performs  the  var- 
ious actions,  but  that  it  is  the  men  who  are  inside  of  the 
ship.  The  same  is  true  of  the  plant  catching  a  fly ;  it  is 
not  the  plant  but  the  cells  who  are  in  charge  of  the  plant 
that  capture  the  fly. 


CONCLUSIONS  429 

When  I  speak  of  the  cell  I  generally  mean  the  largest 
cells  and  the  social  cells  which  have  the  habit  of  building 
themselves  into  social  colonies,  like  plants  and  animals. 
The  different  sizes  and  species  of  cells  are  simply  unlim- 
ited. These  smaller  cells  called  germs  and  bacteria  seem 
to  make  food  for  the  larger,  in  the  same  manner  as  ani- 
mals feed  one  upon  the  other.  It  is  evident  that  un- 
counted numbers  of  ultra  microscopic  species  of  germs 
exist  that  never  will  be  seen.  Those  large  cells  that  are 
well  known,  however,  such  as  build  for  themselves  cov- 
erings of  a  pearly,  horny  or  flinty  material,  and  still  retain 
their  separate  single  existence,  as  well  as  those  that  or- 
ganize themselves  into  social  colonies,  like  plants  and 
animals,  certainly  exhibit  all  the  characters  of  an  intelli- 
gent being;  they  discharge  every  function  of  the  higher 
animals.  There  is  no  doubt  in  my  mind  that  every  cell 
is  composed  of  still  smaller  cells,  and  that  the  size  of 
every  cell  depends  on  the  number  and  organization  of  the 
primordial  beings  which  together  make  up  the  cell.  Every 
cell  is  a  crowd  of  thousands  or  more  individuals,  each  one 
having  this  special  work  to  do  just  as  the  organs  of  an 
individual  have  their  special  work  to  do  in  different  places 
of  the  body. 

When  the  cell  multiplies  by  division,  there  is  simply 
an  even  division  of  the  individuals,  each  half  receiving  his 
share  of  the  beings  and  equipment  possessed  by  the  cell. 
Who  is  this  being  in  the  cell  who  takes  charge  of  and 
directs  the  work  of  equal  division  of  the  cell?  We  see 
him  do  the  work  and  we  call  him  centrosome.  Intelli- 
gence is  clearly  shown  by  this  individual,  who  looks  after 
this  important  work.  A  great  number  of  the  cells  who 
build  plants  and  animals  live  a  single  and  separate  life 
several  months  before  they  begin  building  the  plants  and 
animals.  Such  is  the  case  with  several  sea  and  water 


430  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

animals  and  plants.  After  swimming  around  for  some 
months,  they  finally  decide  to  build  and  settle  down  in 
permanent  habitations,  like  plants  and  stationary  animals 
in  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  They  anchor  their  bodies  and 
colonies  to  solid  objects ;  they  move  about  and  have  or- 
gans of  locomotion  like  other  animals.  The  movements 
of  the  cell  are  never  without  a  purpose,  any  more  than 
are  the  movements  of  other  animals.  The  cells  dart 
about  with  both  speed  and  skill  in  pursuit  of  other  cells 
and  other  objects  for  food.  They  are  careful  to  avoid 
each  other,  unless  they  attack  and  seize  each  other  as  prey 
for  food.  Their  movements  are  clearly  voluntary  and 
intelligent.  Some  have  paddles,  some  have  tails  and  some 
have  other  mechanisms  for  propulsion ;  their  methods 
vary  just  as  methods  vary  among  animals. 

When  we  comprehend  correctly  what  life  is,  that  all 
plants  and  animals  are  the  productions  of  an  invisible  in- 
telligent being,  it  is  then  easy  to  understand  it.  It  is 
impossible  for  us  to  do  the  work  of  the  cell  just  as  it  is 
impossible  for  the  cell  to  do  our  work.  We  can,  however, 
understand  what  the  mind  of  the  cell  is,  from  our  own 
mind.  The  cell  has  the  same  problems  to  solve  as  man. 
Matter  and  force  are  the  same  everywhere  in  the  uni- 
verse ;  they  affect  the  cell  as  they  do  man.  To  direct  the 
blind  forces  and  to  form  crude  matter  so  as  to  best  sub- 
serve his  purpose,  are  the  problems  of  the  cell  as  well 
as  those  of  man.  The  amoeba  must  provide  himself  with 
food,  and  have  material  with  him  ready  at  hand  at  all 
times,  with  which  he  may  cover  his  nakedness  when  nec- 
essary. The  power  to  select  and  carry  the  raw  material 
that  will  instantly  harden  into  a  flinty  armour  when 
spread  around  his  body  is  a  great  discovery  and  a  knowl- 
edge which  must  be  passed  on  from  one  generation  to 
the  other. 


CONCLUSIONS  431 

Certain  physicists,  chemists  and  physiologists  claim  of 
course  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  life  or  intelligence 
in  the  universe ;  that  there  is  nothing  but  matter  and 
force ;  that  force  goes  always  with  matter ;  that  matter 
under  certain  conditions  could  and  would  assume  life; 
and  that  no  intelligence  is  required  to  guide  matter.  It 
is,  in  my  opinion,  useless  to  make  any  such  statements 
at  this  time.  Whether  matter  could  have  got  started 
some  time  in  the  past  million  years,  and  developed  finally 
into  the  intelligent  being  we  call  the  cell,  which  builds 
and  directs  the  actions  of  man,  we  do  not  know.  But 
from  the  evidence  at  hand  it  would  appear  that  life,  the 
intelligent  force,  as  distinguished  from  the  blind  forces 
of  nature,  is  a  separate  force  in  the  universe.  A  clear  line 
can  be  drawn  between  the  dead  and  the  living.  Intelli- 
gence must  have  existed  before  structure.  The  idea 
must  first  exist  how  to  build  and  what  to  build.  From 
the  facts  before  us  it  would  appear  that  a  separate  intelli- 
gent force  may  exist  unseen  in  the  universe,  separate 
from  matter.  The  living  intelligent  cells,  like  man,  con- 
trol and  direct  matter  and  are  masters  of  it.  The  cell  that 
builds  man,  and  the  cell  that  builds  the  tree  that  lives  a 
thousand  years,  look  alike  and  are  alike ;  the  only  differ- 
ence in  them  is  their  record  of  past  events,  their  experi- 
ence and  knowledge.  This  same  is  true  of  animals  and 
man.  The  general  appearance  of  a  man  who  knows  how 
to  build  a  skyscraper  and  that  of  the  man  who  knows 
how  to  build  a  hut,  is  the  same ;  the  only  difference  in 
them  is  in  their  knowledge, — in  the  experiences  stored  up 
in  their  memories.  Every  species  of  cell  can  only  know 
how  to  build  the  structure  from  which  he  came. 

The  fact  that  everything  is  first  produced  before  it  is 
used  shows  clearly  that  some  one  is  building  for  a  pur- 
pose. At  the  right  time  milk  will  be  made  ready  as  fond 


432  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  Or  EVOLUTION 

for  the  infant.  Why  is  it  always  produced  at  the  right 
time  and  always  when  needed?  The  sense  organs  in  the 
same  way  are  prepared  and  ready  in  advance,  before  used, 
and  are  made  for  a  purpose ;  they  are  not  chance  produc- 
tions, but  are  in  every  way  similar  to  the  intelligent  pur- 
posive acts  of  man.  The  fly-traps  of  plants  and  the  elec- 
tric organs  in  fishes  are  in  the  same  manner  made  for  a 
use  and  purpose,  in  accordance  with  the  ideas  in  the 
minds  of  the  makers.  Not  only  do  we  find  organs  made 
for  a  specific  use  but  we  also  find  that  they  are  in  charge 
of  beings  that  know  how  to  use  them. 

Plants  hibernate  in  the  winter,  just  as  many  of  the  ani- 
mals do.  The  cells  of  the  plant  build  the  leaves  whereby 
they  are  able  to  get  in  touch  with  the  sunlight  and  make 
their  food  and  other  material  in  the  summer ;  when  fall 
comes  they  go  back  into  the  tree  and  sever  the  leaves 
from  the  tree.  The  twining  plants  produce  first  grasping 
tackle  they  call  tendrils ;  the  plant  then  moves  its  head 
in  a  circle,  feeling  in  that  way  for  quite  a  distance  around 
itself  for  something  to  grasp.  The  builders  make  first  an 
apparatus  with  which  to  fasten  their  structure  onto  other 
objects.  They  know  what  they  intend  to  do  and  at  the 
first  opportunity  they  do  it.  The  plant  cells  show  also 
great  intelligence  and  skill  in  producing  brilliant  colors 
and  sweet  perfumes,  to  lure  insects  and  compel  them  to 
serve  them  in  numerous  ways. 

The  limited  ability  of  the  human  mind  to  comprehend 
things,  and  its  liability  to  misunderstand  things. — even 
of  the  minds  of  those  who  should  be  the  most  likely  to 
see  things  in  the  right  light,  are  clearly  shown  by  Mr. 
Loeb  of  the  Rockefeller  Institute  in  his  description  and 
interpretation  of  the  actions  of  the  young  beetle,  which 
came  out  of  the  ground  in  the  spring  hungry  and  knew 
how  and  where  to  find  something  to  eat;  without  any  pre- 


CONCLUSIONS  433 

vious  experience  it  went  directly  to  the  top  of  the  tree 
and  ate  the  buds  from  the  end  of  the  twig.  The  ability 
of  the  beetle  to  go  directly  to  the  top  of  the  tree  where 
he  could  find  something  to  eat,  without  having  had  any 
previous  instructions  or  experience,  Mr.  Loeb  calls  "helio- 
tropism"  while  others  call  it  "instinct."  There  are  two 
kinds  of  beetles  that  I  am  very  well  acquainted  with  in 
this  country,  that  live  on  the  outside  of  the  bark  on  trees 
and  they  are  a  source  of  considerable  amusement.  You 
cannot  possibly  see  them  except  on  the  instant  when  they 
move.  They  have  their  backs  shaped  like  the  rough 
bumps  on  the  bark  and  of  course  also  have  the  exact  color 
of  the  bark.  I  can  generally  find  one  by  passing  my  hands 
or  something  over  the  bark  of  trees,  especially  of  oaks. 
When  disturbed  they  will  make  a  swift  rush  for  a  new 
place  to  hide,  and  it  will  always  be  in  a  spot  where  their 
shape  will  exactly  simulate  the  edge  of  the  bark.  When 
I  discover  one  I  usually  call  someone's  attention  to  the 
spot  and  ask  him  whether  or  not  he  can  see  the  beetle, 
and  never  yet  has  anyone  been  able  to  see  him  even  when 
I  pointed  directly  at  him,  until  the  beetle  made  a  swift 
spurt  to  a  new  location.  When  I  read  Mr.  Loeb's  idea 
of  what  was  the  cause  of  the  young  beetle  going  directly 
to  the  top  of  the  tree  to  eat  the  buds,  I  thought  to  myself 
here  absurdity  has  reached  its  limit.  It  seemed  to  me 
that  when  a  man  like  Mr.  Loeb  will  believe  and  will  at- 
tempt to  make  others  believe  that  it  is  the  sunlight  that 
makes  the  beetle  go  to  the  top  of  the  tree  and  eat  the  buds, 
that  it  was  time  for  someone  to  try  to  get  the  tangled  mass 
of  contradictions  and  mystic  absurdities  straightened  out 
so  that  a  person  with  ordinary  common  sense  could  un- 
derstand it.  The  idea  seems  ridiculous  to  me  that  a  beetle 
should  be  heliotropic  because  he  goes  after  something 
to  eat,  and  especially  that  as  soon  as  he  has  eaten  a  bud 


434     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

his  heliotropism  has  left  him  and  the  sunlight  no  longer 
attracts  him.  He  goes  even  so  far  as  to  state  that  it  is  a 
lucky  thing  for  the  beetle  that  the  heliotropism  leaves 
him  as  soon  as  he  has  eaten  the  bud,  for  if  it  did  not,  the 
beetle  would  be  stuck  fast,  helpless,  at  the  top  of  the  twig 
by  the  upward  pull  of  the  sunlight,  which  he  calls  helio- 
tropism. What  has  become  of  our  thinkers  when  such 
statements  will  stand  unchallenged  and  undisputed? 

Mr.  Loeb  as  well  as  others  should  know  that  sunlight 
has  no  more  effect  on  the  beetle  to  pull  him  in  any  direc- 
tion than  it  has  on  other  animals ;  and  he  should  know 
that  the  sunlight  or  heliotropism  will  not  attract  a  beetle 
towards  his  food  any  more  than  the  same  force  will  at- 
tract a  cow  towards  a  haystack.  He  should  know  that 
the  beetle  prefers  darkness,  and  goes  directly  to  the  top 
of  the  tree  for  something  to  eat  in  the  darkest  nights,  as 
well  as  at  other  times  when  he  happens  to  get  out  of  his 
house  in  the  ground,  where  he  has  been  rebuilt  from  a 
worm  into  this  beetle  by  the  cells  that  occupy  him.  The 
cells  that  build  the  tree  beetle  need  not  "take  a  back  seat" 
for  any  other  cells  in  the  world  for  inventive  ability  and 
constructive  skill,  not  even  for  the  cells  that  build  and 
guide  Mr.  Loeb  or  Mr.  Rockefeller.  I  think  the  tree  bee- 
tles exhibit  a  most  wonderful  skill  and  intellect  in  the 
builders,  as  is  shown  by  the  many  inventions  of  shapes 
and  forms,  in  these  illustrations  (Fig.  51)  from  Mr. 
Schute's  Evolution.  A  tree  beetle  is  a  habitation  built 
by  a  colony  of  cells,  so  as  to  be  able  to  dig  holes  in  the 
ground,  run  up  and  down  the  side  of  trees  and  navigate 
the  air;  and  he  is  of  such  shape  and  color  as  to  deceive 
all  his  enemies  that  might  wish  to  devour  him,  and  he 
certainly  is  a  great  success.  He  is  with  us  today  while 
the  larger  extinct  structures  are  with  us  only  as  fossil 
bones  and  remains,  and  he  will  be  with  us  on  this  earth  as 


CONCLUSIONS 


43.S 


FIG.   SO. — Central  American  Leaf  Hoppers  resembling  the  prickly  and  thorny 
_rowths  of  plants  on  which  they  presumably  live.     Certain   of  them  als< 
sent  gall  growths  on  the  plants.     Protective  resemblance.      [Figures  collt 
Dr.  L    O.  Howard    ' 
cana.] — SCHUTE. 


growths  of  plants  on  which  they  presumably  live.  Certain  of  them  also  repre- 
sent gall  growths  on  the  plants.  Protective  resemblance.  [Figures  collected  by 
Dr.  L.  O.  Howard,  from  various  plates  published  in  the  Biologia  Central i-Ameri- 


I 

436          CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

long  as  man,  and  when  a  great  number  of  larger,  and 
what  we  consider  more  intelligent  individuals  or  cell  col- 
onies are  no  more.  The  cells  that  made  and  guide  the 
beetle  can  clearly  remember  from  their  former  experience 
in  the  parent  beetle  where  buds  could  be  found  in  the  early 
spring,  and  so  they  guide  him  directly  to  the  place  in  the 
top  of  the  tree.  In  precisely  the  same  manner  would  an 
experienced  captain  of  the  submarine  or  ship  guide  his 
structure  directly  to  the  proper  place,  by  reason  of  his 
knowledge  and  past  experiences.  There  can  be  no  mys- 
tery, instinct  or  heliotropism  about  it. 

The  plant  called  the  Venus  fly  trap  with  its  actions  so 
similar  to  man's  in  making  traps  and  catching  flies,  is  a 
very  good  illustration  of  design,  intellect  and  foresight 
by  plant  building  cells.  Still  it  is  no  better  illustration 
than  many  others  are  except  that  the  actions  of  this  plant 
resemble  so  closely  those  of  man.  Take  for  instance  the 
fly  traps  made  by  the  plant  called  the  Darlingtonia.  This 
trap  is  a  hood  or  box  into  which  the  insect  is  decoyed, 
and  the  hood  or  box  has  transparent  patches  just  like 
glass,  which  lead  the  insect  to  think  that  they  are  open- 
ings, and  the  insect  attempts  to  escape  through  these  win- 
dows just  as  a  fly  attempts  to  escape  through  a  pane  of 
glass.  We  could  make  very  effective  fly  traps  in  the  same 
way, — in  fact,  we  use  some  now  made  on  the  same  plan. 
The  mind  required  to  conceive,  invent,  and  construct 
these  traps  with  these  window  lights  for  the  purpose  of 
fooling  the  insects  and  in  that  way  capturing  them  for 
food  is  in  no  manner  different  from  our  own. 

A  plant  called  utricularia  growing  in  the  bottom  of 
ponds  can  uproot  itself  and  can  produce  a  gas,  by  means 
of  which  like  a  balloon  it  can  come  to  the  surface  and 
flower.  As  soon  as  it  is  through  flowering,  it  again  be- 
comes heavy  by  releasing  its  gases  and  settles  to  the 


CONCLUSIONS  437 

bottom  of  the  pond,  where  it  fastens  itself  again  with 
roots.  Consider  the  elaborate  machinery  used  in  these 
operations  and  the  skill  required  to  operate  it.  The 
plant  roots  and  uproots  itself  at  pleasure ;  it  makes  a  gas 
with  which  to  raise  itself  to  the  surface  just  when  re- 
quired. The  individuals  who  build  and  operate  this  plant 
must  necessarily  understand  and  have  as  complete  a 
knowledge  of  hydrostatics  and  mechanical  designs  as  the 
builders  and  operators  of  our  submarines.  The  ability  to 
make,  keep  and  release  certain  gases  at  just  the  right  time 
so  as  to  cause  the  plant  to  float  or  sink  as  required,  shows 
precisely  the  same  skill  in  this  plant  building  cell  as  in 
man.  Before  it  is  ready  it  is  anchored  by  its  roots  to  the 
bottom ;  as  soon  as  it  is  ready  to  float,  they  cut  the  roots 
and  release  themselves.  In  what  manner  do  these  var- 
ious actions  differ  from  those  of  man  with  his  air  ships 
and  submarines? 

Every  flower  has  some  peculiar  scheme  of  its  own  to 
compel  insects  to  brush  up  against  the  pollen  and  carry 
it  on  their  backs  or  in  some  other  manner  around  to  other 
plants.  It  would  require  volumes  to  describe  all  the  dif- 
ferent schemes  and  ingenuity  displayed  by  plants  to 
cause  dispersal  of  their  young.  The  more  you  examine 
into  their  methods,  schemes  and  inventions, — especially 
those  of  vegetable  life, — the  more  sure  and  certain  you 
become  of  the  fact  that  the  cells  who  build  plants  and 
animals  and  those  cells  that  resemble  these  in  size  are  all 
possessed  of  the  same  degree  of  intelligence.  They  all 
display  the  same  conscious  wisdom,  foresight  and  inven- 
tive genius  in  their  place  in  life  as  man  does  in  his.  The 
male  salmon  after  having  fought  with  other  males  and 
obtained  possession  of  the  female  scoops  out  a  hole  in  the 
sand  where  the  female  lays  her  eggs,  and  then  he  covers 
the  nest  again  with  sand  to  prevent  anything  eating  his 


438  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

young.  The  young  salmon  is  provided  with  food  enough 
to  last  him  until  he  can  get  his  swimming  apparatus  and 
mouth  ready,  so  as  to  be  able  to  catch  his  own  food.  We 
find  the  same  thing  to  be  true  in  the  case  of  man ;  the 
germ  cell  is  also  provided  with  food  to  last  about  five 
days  or  until  it  can  be  connected  with  the  food  supply 
from  the  body  and  attended  by  the  body  cells.  You  see 
in  every  place  where  you  look  into  the  actions  and  meth- 
ods of  the  cells,  whether  in  their  stationary  abodes,  the 
plants,  or  in  their  movable  dwellings  we  call  animals,  the 
same  wisdom  and  foresight  is  displayed.  Call  it  intelli- 
gence or  what' you  will,  it  is  the  same  as  that  of  man.  The 
building  of  the  animal  body  takes  place  in  exactly  the  same 
manner  as  the  building  of  a  large  structure  by  man.  Some 
cells  work  at  this  and  some  at  that ;  some  build  the  bones, 
some  the  limbs  and  some  the  heart  and  arteries,  etc.  They 
all  work  at  the  same  time  and  in  harmony  with  each 
other;  each  crowd  does  its  part,  expecting  every  other 
crowd  to  do  its  part  too,  so  that  when  the  structure  is 
completed,  the  whole  will  work  harmoniously  together  as 
one  whole  machine.  They  must  understand  each  other 
and  what  they  are  about ;  and  while  the  builders  are  rush- 
ing the  work,  the  body  cells  must  do  their  part  and  fur- 
nish the  food  and  building  material  in  abundance.  When 
the  time  conies  that  the  new  structure  must  be  taken  care 
of  in  the  outside  world,  the  food  is  still  furnished  by  the 
cells  on  the  inside,  as  they  know  best  what  he  needs,  and 
the  food  is  then  supplied  to  the  new  structure  at  a  differ- 
ent and  more  convenient  place  outside. 

The  plant  furnishes  every  young  plant  or  seed  with 
enough  provisions  to  give  it  a  start  in  life  in  just  the  same 
manner  as  animals.  Every  kernel  of  grain  is  the  cell  pro- 
vided with  food  to  give  it  a  start  in  life,  and  we  crush 
and  eat  both  the  cell  and  his  food.  It  has  been  clearly 


CONCLUSIONS  439 

demonstrated  of  late  that  the  cells  at  the  end  of  the  roots 
exercise  the  same  selective  power  as  the  cells  in  the  stom- 
ach. Knowing  what  is  required  by  orders  coming  from 
different  places  of  the  body,  they  select  those  particles 
and  material  which  are  called  for,  and  reject  all  others. 
The  materials  selected  by  the  cell  at  the  surface  of  the 
roots  are  carried  inward  and  up  to  the  places  where  they 
are  required,  in  the  same  manner  as  in  animals ;  and  the 
leaves  absorb  all  the  moisture  they  can  from  the  air,  and 
what  more  is  necessary  is  brought  up  from  the  roots.  The 
plants  have  in  a  way  a  mouth  at  each  end.  They  have 
a  circulation  of  the  sap  in  different  directions,  up  and 
down,  for  the  purpose  of  transportation,  just  as  animals 
have  a  circulation  of  the  blood. 

We  do  not  know  very  much  about  the  beings  that  go 
to  make  up  the  intelligent  individuals  we  call  the  cells. 
We  see  them  move  about  in  the  cells,  produce  this  and 
that,  and  we  call  them  granules,  just  as  a  number  of  years 
ago,  we  gave  the  name  cell  to  the  intelligent  builder  of  all 
life  on  earth  that  we  now  see,  and  which  we  call  plants 
and  animals.  When  the  cell  was  first  discovered  it  was 
thought  to  be  merely  a  crystal  of  matter  and  was  not 
considered  a  living  individual.  Man  could  not  then  com- 
prehend that  he  had  discovered  his  maker. 

It  is  singular  how  the  cells  of  plants  are  affected  by 
chloroform,  drugs  and  poisons  in  precisely  the  same  man- 
ner as  man  and  animals  are.  It  can  be  observed  in  sensi- 
tive plants  that  they  cease  to  be  sensitive  when  chloro- 
formed ;  and  sensitive  plants  who  close  their  leaves  when 
jaired  or  disturbed  will  get  used  to  it  if  this  disturbance 
is  kept  up  for  a  time  and  will  pay  no  attention  to  it,  being 
affected  in  the  same  manner  as  man  and  animals  would 
be.  There  is  a  plant  called  Nepenthes,  which  has  an  in- 
sect trap  like  other  pitcher  plants  that  catch  insects,  but 


440  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

in  addition  to  the  ordinary  method  it  makes  a  poisonous 
gas  heavier  than  air  which  floats  over  the  water  in  the 
pitcher.  The  insect  is  attracted  and  fooled  into  this  gas 
by  perfume  and  honey  and  when  it  becomes  poisoned  and 
suffocated  by  this  gas,  it  falls  into  the  fluid  below.  This 
fluid  is  possessed  of  digestive  properties  similar  to  those 
of  gastric  juice,  and  the  cells  of  the  plant  digest  and  eat 
the  insects.  Where  does  man  display  any  more  inventive 
genius  and  intelligent  schemes,  by  which  to  catch  ani- 
mals for  food?  Do  you  suppose  that  the  manufacture  of 
this  heavier-than-air  poisonous  gas  could  come  about  by 
chance?  While  every  plant  and  animal  displays  actions 
purposive  and  intentional  to  affect  some  future  end,  still 
the  insect  catching  plants  are  the  clearest  illustrations  of 
intelligent  acts  because  they  are  analogous  to  those  of 
man.  It  is  a  singular  thing  and  the  cause  is  not  yet 
understood,  why  only  the  meat  of  insects  and  particles 
good  for  food  become  stuck  and  fastened  in  the  sticky 
secretions  on  the  leaves  of  insect  catching  plants.  The 
sticky  secretion  is  in  composition  similar  to  that  used  by 
man  to  catch  flies,  but  it  is  so  manipulated  that  if  any- 
thing like  leaves,  gravel,  etc.  touches  it,  it  does  not  stick 
but  for  an  instant,  unless  good  to  eat.  How  are  the  cells 
of  the  plant  able  to  manipulate  the  stickiness  of  the  fluid 
so  as  to  stick  in  one  case  and  not  in  the  other?  The 
human  mind  with  its  limited  capacity  has  not  yet  been 
able  to  understand  or  comprehend  this  secret  of  the  plant 
cells.  The  plant  has  specialized  organs  just  as  the  ani- 
mals have.  When  the  insect  is  caught,  one  crowd  of 
cells  holds  him  with  the  trap  while  another  bunch  pours 
digestive  fluid  over  him  and  the  third  group  carries  his 
several  microscopic  parts  to  the  interior  of  the  plant 
where  he  is  eaten  by  the  whole  colony  of  cells  that  make 
up  the  individual  we  call  insect  catching  plant.  The 


CONCLUSIONS  441 

seizure,  capture  and  digestion  of  insects  by  plants  require 
precisely  the  same  intelligence  as  do  the  capture  and 
eating  of  an  animal  by  man.  There  is  no  difference  in 
the  general  appearance  of  the  plant  building  cells  and  the 
man  building  cells.  The  only  difference  in  them  is  their 
general  knowledge,  experience  and  education  recorded  in 
the  memory  of  the  individuals.  In  the  past  ages  the  cells 
have  each  accumulated  the  special  experience  and  knowl- 
edge which  now  guide  and  direct  their  actions  in  the  same 
manner  that  the  experience  and  knowledge  of  every  in- 
dividual determine  and  guide  his  actions.  In  the  insec- 
tivorous plant  called  the  Sundew,  the  tentacles  with  the 
sticky  material  gradually  push  the  insect  over  to  the 
center  of  the  leaf  where  he  is  covered  with  a  digestive 
juice  similar  to  gastric  juice  and  digested.  It  is  observed 
that  the  juice  begins  to  flow  into  the  center  of  the  leaf 
where  the  plant  expects  to  land  the  insect  as  soon  as  he  is 
fairly  well  secured.  Intelligent  man  will  act  in  a  similar 
manner.  As  soon  as  the  animal  is  caught  those  who  have 
charge  of  preparing  him  for  food  start  their  work,  an- 
ticipating and  knowing  that  the  others  in  due  time  will 
land  him  in  the  camp,  ready  for  the  kettle. 

The  plant  is  not  fooled  by  other  objects  falling  on  the 
trap  and  the  trap  is  again  set  for  another  insect  as  soon 
as  the  entrapped  one  is  digested.  This  is  precisely  what 
man  would  do  under  a  similar  circumstance.  The  amount 
of  digestive  fluid  produced  will  always  be  in  proportion 
to  the  size  of  the  insect  and  no  digestive  fluid  will  be 
wasted.  If  the  trap  is  fooled  into  making  a  closing  move 
by  some  other  material  than  food,  no  digestive  juice  will 
be  produced  and  it  will  very  quickly  discover  the  decep- 
tion played  on  it  by  man  and  again  open  its  trap.  It 
behaves  exactly  as  man  would  under  a  similar  circum- 
stance. The  individuals  of  this  colony  of  cells  known  as 


442     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

the  Venus  fly-trap,  and  others,  understand  how  to  make 
an  elaborate  fly  tray  and  into  this  they  entice  and  cap- 
ture insects  for  food.  They  are  not  in  need  of  this  food 
because  they  understand  how  to  make  food  from  the  raw 
material  of  earth,  air  and  water  by  the  aid  of  sunlight  in 
the  same  manner  as  other  plant  cells.  The  fly  trap  could 
not  have  arisen  or  come  to  be  by  any  beneficial  variation 
because  it  could  be  of  no  benefit  until  completed  as  a  fly 
trap,  and  the  catching  of  flies  and  insects  is  a  mere  sport 
and  not  a  necessity.  The  whole  scheme  must  have  been 
conceived,  planned  and  discussed  and  experimented  with 
in  this  cell  colony  for  a  long  time  before  they  got  it  into 
a  working  condition.  No  chance  variation  known  as  bene- 
ficial variation  could  have  possibly  produced  it.  The  idea 
of  catching  insects  must  have  existed  in  the  minds  of  the 
builders  before  they  began  to  prepare  and  construct  these 
fly  traps.  The  idea  must  come  before  the  structure  in  all 
productions  of  art  by  man,  and  it  must  have  been  the 
same  in  this  case  with  the  cells  producing  the  fly  traps. 
The  methods  used  by  other  moving  and  sensitive  plants 
like  those  that  sleep  and  climb,  are  similar  to  the  methods 
used  by  animals.  The  climbing  plants  attach  themselves 
by  grasping  hooks  and  suckers,  and  direct  the  several 
movements  by  which  they  feel  around  for  supports  with 
a  purpose  and  end  in  view  similar  to  other  animals ;  with 
the  aim  in  view  of  climbing  up  into  the  sunlight  they 
take  advantage  of  the  principles  of  engineering.  The 
schemes  of  plants  for  catching  insects,  however,  are  more 
readily  comprehended  and  recognized  by  man  as  intelli- 
gent because  they  are  similar  to  his  own.  The  tricks  of 
the  professional  trapper  and  hunter  are  recognized  in  the 
actions  of  the  insect  catching  plants  and  these  actions 
show  an  intellect  and  skill  similar  to  those  of  the  trapper. 
The  acts  of  capturing  insects  are  the  same  as  those  of  the 


CONCLUSIONS  443 

hunter,  who  sets  out  his  decoy  birds  and  lies  in  wait  for 
the  unsuspecting  victims. 

It  seems  clear  that  in  order  to  produce  the  organs  of 
our  body,  like  the  eye  for  instance,  the  cells  must  have  a 
mind  similar  to  that  of  the  man  who  makes  optical  instru- 
ments ;  they  must  be  fully  acquainted  with  the  law  of 
optics.  Chance  or  natural  selection  knows  nothing  of 
optical  law  and  cannot  produce  the  eye  any  more  than  it 
can  the  optical  instruments.  The  same  may  also  be  said 
of  the  other  organs  and  especially  of  the  powerful  electric 
organs  in  fishes.  While  these  electric  organs  were  merely 
in  their  experimental  state,  they  could  not  have  been  of 
any  advantage  to  the  fish  in  his  pursuit  and  capture  of 
other  animals  for  food.  The  inventive  mind  of  the  build- 
ers of  the  fish  must  have  been  the  cause  in  this,  as  in  other 
inventions ;  accident  and  chance  could  not  produce  elec- 
tric storage  batteries  and  apparatus  with  which  to  gather 
and  discharge  powerful  currents  of  electricity  at  will. 
Accident  and  chance  could  no  more  have  produced  them 
in  the  fish  than  in  the  power  plants  we  now  have  in  our 
cities.  The  fish  is  a  colony  of  cells  and  the  city  is  a  colony 
of  men.  Why  should  the  production  of  the  cell  be  that  of 
accident  and  chance,  and  the  production  of  man  that  of 
intelligence?  Man  attempts  to  argue  that  the  actions  of 
other  animals  are  not  intelligent  and  calls  these  actions 
automatic,  reflex,  habitual  and  instinctive.  When  con- 
fronted with  the  fact  that  these  instinctive  and  automatic 
actions  are  as  intelligent  and  purposive  as  his  own,  he 
makes  the  absurd  statement  that  they  were  at  some  prior 
time  directed  by  the  intelligence  of  the  animal  until  they 
became  habitual,  automatic  and  instinctive.  When  could 
man  or  animal  have  been  any  more  intelligent  in  the  past 
than  he  is  today?  The  words,  "variation,"  "natural  selec- 
tion," and  "adaptation"  used  by  many  evolutionists  as  a 


444          CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

cause  of  the  production  ofdifferent  animals  and  organs  of 
animals  are  a  delusion, — they  are  only  a  playing  with 
words.  The  multitudes  of  cells  that  make  up  the  colony 
or  cell  republic  which  we  call  a  plant  or  animal,  must 
build  or  produce  the  structure,  for  the  climate  and  chance 
variations  will  produce  nothing.  It  is  clear  that  in  the 
battle  for  existence  among  several  contending  for  space, 
the  best  fitted  individual  or  battleship  will  generally  win 
out  and  survive  and  perpetuate  its  kind.  No  one  ever 
questioned  or  disputed  this  fact,  but  it  is  only  a  fact  and 
law  in  the  universe,  and  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  orig- 
inal construction  of  the  battleship.  The  cause  of  the  bat- 
tleship was  the  intelligent  being  who  produced  it  and 
directed  its  action  in  battle. 

Many  writers  use  words  in  such  combinations  that  they 
become  complex  and  misleading;  some  wish  to  appear 
wise  and  invent  words  and  phrases  to  make  you  think 
they  understand  something  which  they  do  not.  These 
people  are  an  obstruction  to  a  true'understanding  of  life 
by  the  busy  man.  When  Darwin,  Wallace  and  Spencer 
wrote  their  theories  of  evolution,  they  did  not  comprehend 
that  the  cell  was  an  intelligent  living  animal,  so  they 
could  not  understand  the  cause  of  the  different  structures 
in  life.  But  they  could  clearly  see  that  all  plants  and  ani- 
mals were  not  born  or  made  alike;  that  all  were  a  little' 
different  and  that  the  best  individual  won  out  in  the  game 
of  life,  and  again  produced  his  kind. 

We  are  told  by  Darwin,  Haeckel  and  other  evolution- 
ists that  accident  and  chance  produce  the  living  things  we 
see,  like  plants  and  animals.  Others  tell  us  that  an  un- 
known Creator  produces  them.  Both  sides  seem  to  grope 
about  in  the  dark  for  a  cause  and  deliberately  ignore  the 
plain  and  real  cause.  It  is  just  as  clear  that  the  cells  build 
plants  and  animals  for  their  own  use  and  purpose  as  is 


CONCLUSIONS  445 

the  fact  that  man  builds  houses  and  ships  for  his  own  use 
and  purpose.  One  shows  precisely  the  same  intellect, 
wisdom  and  foresight  in  his  place  in  life  as  does  the  other. 
They  mold  and  form  the  crude  matter  and  direct  the  blind 
forces  in  the  universe  for  their  own  use.  The  cell  is  the 
builder  and  thinker  in  man  as  well  as  in  all  other  living 
individuals.  We  know  that  the  cause  of  man's  ability  to 
produce  things  is  his  intelligence,  and  we  know  that  the 
intelligence  of  man  arises  from  the  thinking  cells  in  his 
head,  hence  it  seems  to  me  there  is  no  room  for  argu- 
ment. 

When  we  understand  life  correctly,  that  the  cell  is  the 
cause  and  builder,  that  he  is  intelligent,  that  he  has  mem- 
ory and  knowledge,  that  he  can  only  act  from  experience, 
just  as  we  do,  the  mystery  of  heredity  disappears  and  the 
inevitable  development  of  a  kernel  of  corn  into  a  corn- 
stalk and  not  into  a  sunflower  becomes  perfectly  clear. 
These  cells  have  never  had  any  experience  or  knowledge 
of  how  to  produce  anything  but  the  corn  plant.  For  that 
reason,  the  corn  stalk  must  necessarily  be  their  specific 
production.  The  cell  lives  in  a  different  place  in  life — in 
a  different  world,  the  microscopic  world,  but  nevertheless 
we  can  tell  by  his  actions  what  he  is  and  what  he  does — 
"By  their  acts  we  shall  know  them."  We  know  that  the 
thinking  cells  in  our  brain  have  the  power  of  memory. 
This  gives  us  a  fairly  good  understanding  of  what  mem- 
ory is  in  the  cell.  Why  like  will  produce  like  and  why,  in 
many  cases,  like  bees  and  ants  and  caterpillars  and  butter- 
flies, they  produce  not  only  like  but  also  entirely  unlike 
descendants,  is  clearly  understood  because,  like  man,  they 
produce  what  they  consider  is  best  and  necessary,  and 
what  comes  within  their  knowledge  and  experience. 

We  do  not  know  the  cause  of  chemical  force,  electricity 
or  gravitation;  we  do  not  know  the  details  in  the  con- 


446  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

struction  of  the  cell,  but  it  is  not  necessary  to  the  question 
at  hand,  and  when  we  do  not  know  it  is  best  and  right  to 
frankly  admit  it.  In  no  place  do  we  find  intelligence  in 
the  actions  of  the  natural  forces  and  dead  matter.  We 
know  that  an  amoeba  when  necessary  can  build  around 
itself  a  hard  protective  cover,  and  to  be  able  to  do  this,  it 
would  seem  necessary  that  a  number  of  separate  in- 
dividuals in  the  cell  would  be  required  to  perform  the  act. 
Who  the  builders  are  and  how  they  work  in  the  amoeba 
we  do  not  know  because  we  cannot  see  them  plainly 
enough.  The  natural  forces  will  act  whether  anything  is 
necessary  or  not.  The  actions  of  the  blind  forces  like 
electricity,  etc.,  take  place  regardless  of  the  will  and 
judgment  of  anyone.  Hence -this  case  of  the  amoeba 
putting  on  his  coat  only  when  it  becomes  necessary,  it 
shows  at  once  that  intellect  is  in  command,  directing  the 
natural  forces  and  matter,  and  that  the  amoeba  is  an  in- 
telligent being.  The  centrosome  or  general  manager  in 
the  cell,  who  gives  orders  to  the  rest  of  the  primordial 
beings  who  make  up  the  cell  to  either  divide  or  to  cover 
itself  with  a  protecting  covering,  is  without  doubt  an  in- 
telligent being,  as  appears  from  his  actions,  which  now 
can  be  seen  with  a  microscope.  Not  long  ago  the  cell 
could  barely  be  seen  and  we  thought  it  only  a  crystallized 
matter  of  some  sort.  The  cells  build  their  structures  for 
a  certain  purpose,  expecting  and  intending  that  they  shall 
be  used  for  that  purpose. 

However,  if  it  comes  to  pass  that  they  will  not  be  re- 
quired, they  will  be  gradually  removed  and  abandoned. 
This  we  find  to  be  the  case  with  all  organs  and  even  the 
eye  will  lose  its  power  of  sight  and  will  gradually  disap- 
pear if  not  required, — as  is  the  case  with  fishes  which 
have  acquired  the  habit  of  living  in  dark  caves.  This  we 
find  also  to  be  the  case  with  man  in  his  use  of  structures 


CONCLUSIONS  447 

and  machines ;  whatever  is  found  to  be  of  no  use  or  ser- 
vice would  be  abandoned  and  discarded  as  useless.  The 
light  does  not  produce  eyes  nor  does  the  vibration  of  the 
air  produce  ears.  The  cell  wherever  you  find  him  shows 
by  his  actions  the  same  intention  and  purpose  as  man. 
In  every  place,  the  actions  are  intelligent  and  voluntary. 
The  amoeba,  the  single  cell,  which  lives  in  the  water  and 
so  closely  resembles  the  man  building  cell,  can  move  in 
any  direction  it  thinks  best,  eat  what  it  thinks  best  and 
when  in  danger  escape  from  its  enemies,  and,  under  ex- 
ceptionally dangerous  circumstances,  it  can  cover  itself 
with  an  extra  tough  and  hard  cover  wherein  it  can  remain 
until  the  danger  is  over.  Other  species  of  its  kind  make 
and  wear  permanent  covers  of  pearl,  horn  or  flint  wherein 
they  live  and  paddle  themselves  around  through  the  water 
in  search  of  food.  Others  not  only  cover  themselves  with 
armor  but  provide  themselves  with  flash  lights  to  better 
see  and  capture  their  food  and  some  make  darts  with 
which  they  can  strike  and  capture  their  prey  at  a  dis- 
tance. The  other  social  cells  that  multiply  and  aggregate 
themselves  into  colonies  and  cell  republics  which  we  call 
plants  and  animals,  show  the  same  inventive  skill  as  these 
single  cells.  Their  special  skill  consists  mainly  in  being 
able  to  produce  large  protective  colonies. 

It  is  hard  for  the  ordinary  man  to  comprehend  that  an 
animal  or  plant  could  have  any  intellect  without  a  brain, 
head  and  nervous  system.  The  easiest  way  to  illustrate 
intellect  in  the  plant  is  with  the  actions  of  the  various  in- 
sect catching  plants.  The  fact  that  these  fly  traps  are  of 
the  most  scientific  construction  and  are  operated  in  pre- 
cisely the  same  manner  as  if  they  were  operated  by  man 
makes  it  clear  that  the  cells  who  build  and  operate  the 
traps  possess  at  least  the  same  skill  as  man.  The  old 
ideas  about  instinctive  actions  of  birds  and  animals  are 


448    CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

all  cleared  away  when  you  understand  life  correctly. 
How  can  a  swallow  fly  the  first  time  it  makes  the  attempt 
without  having  ever  had  any  practice  or  instruction  in 
the  art?  It  is  clear  that  the  cells  who  will  do  the  flying 
are  the  same  individuals  who  have  made  the  swallow. 
They  have  designed  and  put  him  together,  piece  by  piece, 
for  a  specific  purpose,  and  every  part  of  him  was  placed 
in  the  correct  place  and  made  of  the  right  material.  Every 
individual  cell  that  makes  up  the  swallow  is  in  his  place, 
and  knows  what  he  is  there  for  and  has  charge  of  the 
particular  business  in  which  he  is  skilled.  There  is  no 
difference  whatever  in  the  various  purposive  activities  of 
the  cells  building  a  swallow  and  those  of  man  building  an 
air  ship.  Both  are  built  for  the  same  purpose  and  both 
fly  in  their  first  attempt  without  any  previous  experience 
or  instruction.  It  is  commonly  said  that  the  swallow 
flies  from  instinct,  then  why  not  say  that  the  air  ship  also 
flies  from  instinct.  Yet  this  would  be  ridiculous ;  every 
one  knows  that  it  is  the  builders  who  set  these  machines 
which  they  have  produced  into  motion.  There  is  no  dis- 
tinction, in  fact,  between  intelligent  and  what  they  call 
reflex,  automatic,  habitual  or  instinctive  acts.  All  these 
are  intelligent,  purposive  acts. 

There  is,  in  fact,  no  difference  between  a  voluntary  and 
an  involuntary  act, — both  are  intelligent  and  purposive ; 
for  instance,  I  can  wink  my  eye  voluntarily  and  invol- 
untarily. If  voluntarily,  the  act  is  directed  by  my  sense 
cells  in  charge  of  consciousness ;  if  involuntarily,  the  act 
is  directed  by  the  nerve  cell  having  that  particular  busi- 
ness in  charge.  Why  is  the  same  act  any  more  conscious 
and  intelligent  if  directed  by  one  cell  than  by  the  other? 
If  it  is  an  intelligent  act  in  one  case,  ,it  must  necessarily 
also  be  so  in  the  other.  It  has  been  shown  that  in  civilized 
man  there  is  a  bunch  of  cells  near  the  side  of  the  head 


CONCLUSIONS  449 

specifically  delegated  to  direct  all  the  actions  in  writing. 
This  "writing  center",  as  it  is  called,  is  located  near  the 
speech  center  and  if  these  cells  who  have  the  writing  busi-  ,, 
ness  in  charge  are  injured  the  individual  will  not  be  able 
to  write  a  word  and  all  his  knowledge  of  the  art  will  be 
entirely  lost.  It  is  the  same  with  any  other  centers  or 
specifically  trained  cells  in  your  head.  If  they  are  in- 
jured or  destroyed,  that  particular  work  or  faculty  will 
thereby  be  lost  to  the  individual.  The  brain  is  simply  a 
bunch  of  centers,  each  center  or  bunch  of  cells  having 
charge  of  their  particular  department  of  work.  When  you 
kill  or  remove  those  individuals,  their  work  ceases  with 
their  destruction  or  removal.  When  we  first  learned  to 
write  or  walk  the  sense  cells  had  charge  of  it,  but  as  we 
became  more  efficient  other  cells  took  charge  and  learned 
it  and  finally  relieved  the  sense  cells  of  the  work,  so  that 
they  could  do  something  else. 

When  life  is  correctly  understood,  all  these  theories 
about  irritability,  excitability,  emotion,  automatism,  reflex 
action,  intuition,  instinct,  etc.  become  perfectly  clear  and 
it  can  be  seen  that  they  are  all  the  same  thing,  and  that 
they  are  all  intelligent  actions  coming  from  differently 
situated  cells.  How  the  cell,  matter  and  force  came  into 
the  world  we  do  not  yet  clearly  know,  but  we  do  know, 
however,  how  plants  and  animals  come  into  the  world 
because  we  can  see  the  actions  of  the  builders  that  pro- 
duce them,  which  we  were  not  able  to  do  some  years  ago 
when  we  were  compelled  to  say  that  they  simply  grew. 
By  virtue  of  his  intelligence,  man  is  able  to  control  and 
direct  matter  and  force  so  as  to  effect  results  such  as 
houses,  ships  and  cities,  and  in  an  analogous  manner,  we 
find  the  cell  is  able  to  control  matter  and  force  in  the 
universe  so  as  to  cause  the  structures  we  call  plants  and 
animals.  We  can  only  deal  with  these  things  we  see  and 


450     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

know,  such  as  cells,  matter  and  force.  In  reference  to 
those  other  questions  that  we  do  not  know,  such  as  how 
the  cell  came  into  the  world  or  how  force  and  matter  came 
to  exist,  one  has  as  much  right  to  guess  as  the  other  and 
it  does  not  prove  anything.  The  power  of  memory  is 
without  doubt  the  cause  of  progress  and  intellect  in  the 
cell  and  no  doubt  some  day  this  power  will  be  better 
understood,  and  I  am  satisfied  that  it  will  be  based  on 
some  physical  and  chemical  skill  understood  by  the  cell. 
I  feel  satisfied  that  we  shall  find  that  in  some  perfectly 
natural  way  the  record  of  past  incidents  and  occurrences 
are  recorded  and  preserved  in  the  same  manner  as  man 
now  records  and  preserves  his  experiences  by  means  of 
books,  paper  or  phonograph.  You  might  ask  where  would 
the  cell,  this  microscopic  individual,  have  room  for  any 
such  record.  It  is  possible  for  the  cell  to  carry  with  him 
such  records,  for  we  find  that  the  amoeba,  which  is  the 
most  similar  to  the  man  building  cell,  is  able  to  carry  with 
him  material  and  force  sufficient  to  build  around  himself, 
whenever  so  desired,  a  house  or  cover,  solid  as  steel, 
wherein  he  can  remain  safe  until  the  dangers  which 
threatened  his  life  are  over.  Looking  at  him  with  our 
most  powerful  microscope  we  can,  as  yet,  only  see  what 
appears  to  be  a  mass  of  microscopic  and  active  granules, 
running  hither  and  thither.  Where  does  the  amoeba  keep 
all  these  materials  with  which  he  can,  when  he  thinks  it  is 
necessary,  construct  this  coat  of  armor  about  himself  and 
where  does, he  keep  all  his  specifically  trained  force,  who 
understand  how  to  put  the  raw  material  into  a  covering 
for  his  unprotected  body?  When  we  shall  have  produced 
a  microscope  powerful  enough  to  enable  us  to  see  the 
detailed  activities  of  the  primordial  beings  that  go  to 
make  up  the  individual  we  call  cell,  or  the  amoeba,  then 
we  shall  very  likely  be  able  to  discover  how  he  is  able  to 


CONCLUSIONS 


USIONS  451 

•//    ,,  '     Cjl 

keep  a  record  of  past  events  and  is  able  to  refer  to  such 
records  when  necessary  to  guide  his  actions,  wHith/^ve 
call  memory. 

Without  this  power  of  memory,  the  cell  could  not  build 
the  plants  and  animals  we  see,  nor  could  the  civilization 
of  man  be  maintained  without  his  ability  to  keep  a  record 
of  the  past  to  guide  his  actions.  The  physical  forces,  pro- 
vided with  the  same  material  to  work  on,  always  produce 
the  same  results ;  they  always  have  done  so  and  always 
will.  The  rivers  always  have  and  always  will  flow  to  the 
sea ;  the  heat  of  the  sun  has  moved  wind  and  water  in  the 
past  as  it  does  today ;  the  chemical  actions  and  crystalliza- 
tions have  taken  place  in  the  past  just  as  they  do  today 
and  always  will.  Knowing  the  combination,  the  chemist 
knows  the  result.  In  life  it  is  different  because  the  cell  is 
an  animal  or  individual  like  man,  who  is  able  to  override 
and  direct  the  blind  forces  of  nature  to  his  own  use.  The 
environment  of  climate,  wind,  earth  and  water  is  made 
to  serve  him  and  does  not  control  him.  The  young  barn- 
acle, called  copepod,  looks  like  a  cross  between  a  crab 
and  a  fish ;  he  has  a  nervous  system,  eyes  and  limbs  for 
locomotion.  He  swims  about  in  the  sea  until  he  fastens 
onto  a  fish  and  there  becomes  a  stationary  individual.  He 
tears  down  those  structures  and  organs  which  are  of  no 
more  use  to  him,  like  eyes  and  limbs,  and  becomes  noth- 
ing but  a  sack  fastened  to  the  fish.  This  might  seem  a 
very  foolish  thing  to  do  from  our  point  of  view, — that  is, 
to  destroy  one's  eyes  and  limbs  and  convert  one's  self  into 
nothing  more  than  a  sack  or  stomach.  However,  looked 
at  from  the  correct  point  of  view,  it  is  the  right  thing  to 
do  if  one  can  do  it.  While  a  free  swimming  animal  the 
copepod  has  to  lead  a  very  strenuous  and  uncertain  life. 
While  moving  about  in  search  of  food,  he  is  liable  to  be 
swallowed  and  his  existence  terminated  any  minute  by 


452     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

hungry  fish  or  other  enemies.  If  he  can  securely  fasten 
himself  to  a  fish  or  some  moving  structure  as  a  ship,  for 
instance,  he  can  ride  around  with  plenty  of  food  at  hand 
and  in  comfort  and  safety  for  ever  more.  We  must  re- 
member that  this  barnacle  attached  to  some  object  is 
simply  a  colony  of  cells  like  any  other  plant  or  animal ; 
and  that  the  cells  that  made  up  his  limbs  and  eyes  and 
who  were  occupied  with  the  strenuous  work  of  locomo- 
tion and  seeing,  can  now  quit  this  work  and  ride  in  their 
little  house  in  comfort  and  safety.  How  can  environment, 
such  as  the  climate  or  the  water,  cause  or  direct  these 
actions  and  structures  of  the  barnacle  as  claimed  by  some 
evolutionists?  It  is  simply  absurd  and  unthinkable.  When 
the  cells  in  the  fish  like  barnacles  make  a  sucker-like  ap- 
paratus with  which  to  effect  a  quick  attachment  to  the 
fish  should  an  opportunity  arise,  they  must  necessarily 
know  what  they  are  about  as  it  is  a  difficult  task  not  only 
to  make  the  instrument  with  which  to  effect  the  attach- 
ment, but  it  is  also  a  difficult  task  to  approach  and  attach 
themselves  to  a  fish.  It  could  not  come  about  by  any  ac- 
cident and  chance  any  more  than  a  stone  could  jump  and 
ride  a  wild  horse  by  chance. 

The  acts  of  the  cell  whether  in  a  barnacle,  oyster,  plant 
or  animal  show  the  same  intelligence  everywhere.  They 
direct  the  actions  and  destinies  of  all  individuals,  just  as 
man  directs  the  actions  and  destinies  of  all  his  structures, 
such  as  submarines,  battleships,  etc.  The  cells  direct  the 
animals  in  their  search  for  food ;  they  direct  the  birds  in 
their  nest-building,  and  in  their  migration  south  upon  the 
approach  of  winter;  they  direct  the  bee  in  his  flight  for 
honey,  and  the  ant  in  his  social  economy ;  they  direct 
insectivorous  plants  in  their  capture  of  insects  and  man 
in  his  civilization.  The  seed  from  the  wild  parsnip, 
which  in  its  wild  stage  is  tough  and  wiry,  will  in  a  few 


CONCLUSIONS  453 

generations  in  a  good  garden  soil,  well  tended,  produce 
the  plant  as  it  now  is.  Why?  Because  in  nature  the 
parsnip  has  certain  enemies  and  elements  to  struggle  with 
which  require  that  particular  kind  of  tough  condition  of 
the  plant  in  order  to  exist,  and  it  is  also  precisely  the 
same  with  animals  and  man.  The  wiry,  tough  wild  boar 
must  remain  so  in  his  natural  habitat  in  order  to  be  able 
to  exist. 

We  see  the  same  struggle  for  existence  everywhere. 
It  is  the  same  among  the  single  cells  on  sea  and  land  as 
it  is  among  plants  and  animals,  and  as  it  is  among  men 
in  business,  and  among  nations  for  a  national  existence ; 
the  same  schemes  are  invented  by  plants  to  perpetuate 
their  existence  as  by  man,  animals  and  nations.  There  is 
a  plant  in  Persia  that  puts  forth  a  pair  of  hooks  of  mater- 
ial strong  as  steel  which  fits  over  the  noses  of  antelope, 
deer,  and  camels,  and  kills  its  victims,  after  capture,  by 
the  injection  of  a  poison.  It  does  this  with  the  purpose 
and  intention  that  its  young  plants  shall  feed  on  the  de- 
caying carcass  while  building  new  plants  like  those  from 
which  they  came  ;  this  shows  an  inventive  genius  and  fore- 
sight of  the  highest  order.  The  idea  that  any  chance  vari- 
ation could  ever  produce  this  far  seeing  invention  to 
effect  the  purpose  intended,  is  as  impossible  as  that  an 
automobile  could  be  caused  by  chance.  The  cell  which 
built  this  plant  shows  that  the  cause  of  evolution  is  the 
intellect  of  the  builder  and  not  chance  variation. 

If  pigs  are  turned  out  into  the  timber  and  forced  to 
protect  themselves  as  best  they  can,  they  will  slowly  and 
surely  revert  back  to  the  original  type  because  it  will  be 
necessary  for  self  protection.  In  order  to  be  able  to  live 
on  the  scant  supply  of  food  in  the  timber,  the  pig  must 
hunt  and  hustle  all  the  time  and  sometimes  fight  for  his 
life.  He  cannot  have  short  legs  and  a  heavy  fat  body  and 


454 


CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 


exist  very  long  because  he  cannot  get  around  quickly 
enough  to  gather  food,  even  if  he  could  protect  himself 
against  falling  prey  to  the  fox  and  the  wolf.  The  builders 
are  wise — they  know  these  facts  and  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible they  will  change  their  structure  to  a  veritable  fight- 


FIG.  51. — Wild  Boar  contrasted  with  a  modern  Domesticated  Pig.  Repro- 
duced from  Romanes'  "Darwin,  and  After  Darwin."  By  courtesy  of  The  Open 
Court  Publishing  Company. — SCHUTE. 

ing  and  running  machine,  which  can  fight,  dig  and  run 
with  such  speed  and  dexterity  as  will  be  necessary  for 
existence.  For  this  reason  the  neck  and  nose  will  be  in- 
creased in  size  for  fighting  and  rooting,  and  the  rest  of 
the  body  will  be  made  to  correspond  to  it  and  the  legs 
will  be  made  as  long  and  strong  as  necessary  to  make  up 


CONCLUSIONS  455 

the  perfect  running,  rooting  and  fighting  machine  which 
will  be  required  in  a  rough  and  tumble  existence  with  the 
elements  and  enemies  that  he  will  meet  in  the  forest. 
The  cell  whose  wisdom  must  look  after  these  details  for 
the  hog  will  do  the  same  for  man,  if  he  should  be  com- 
pelled to  hustle  for  himself  in  a  wild  forest.  Man  would 
also  be  compelled  to  revert  back  to  his  savage  ancestral 
type.  The  cells,  like  man,  will  build  such  structures  as 
they  know  will  be  required  in  order  to  exist  in  the  battle 
of  life.  Climate,  earth  and  air,  which  are  called  environ- 
ment, produce  nothing,  but  they  cause  the  cells  to  build 
structures  differing  in  various  places,  depending  on  what 
is  required.  Intelligent  man  does  the  same  and  so  do  all 
living  things. 

Every  part  of  your  body,  which  is,  in  fact,  a  specialized 
colony  of  cells,  does  just  what  is  required  and  just  the 
right  and  proper  thing  in  each  particular  case.  Consider 
for  a  moment  the  complex  and  skilled  actions  of  the  cells 
that  make  up  your  mouth,  tongue  and  throat,  how  they 
guide  the  direction  of  the  food  in  one  way  and  the  direc- 
tion of  the  air  in  the  other;  how  dexterously  the  tongue 
is  able  to  push  the  food  around  and  between  the  teeth, 
hardly  ever  getting  caught ;  how  the  muscles  of  your 
tongue  and  mouth  form  themselves  into  shapes  to  cause 
sounds  of  all  kinds.  Those  actions  are  as  truly  intelligent 
as  the  actions  of  your  hand  in  painting  the  most  artistic 
picture,  but  no  more  so  than  the  skillful  acts  of  plants  in 
catching  insects.  The  ear  is  an  instrument  that,  if  kept 
up  in  proper  condition,  will  detect  the  vibrations  of  the 
air,  but  in  order  to  be  able  to  hear  the  ear  drum  must 
always  be  strung  up  to  a  certain  degree  of  tension ;  if  not 
kept  just  so,  you  cannot  hear.  Who  looks  after  these  de- 
tails? We  find  in  every  place  in  the  body  that  every 


456  CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

Chimpanzee^ 


2.  Gorilla. 


3.  Orang. 
FIG.  52. — Man  and  monkeys. — HAECKEL. 


4t    Negro. 


CONCLUSIONS  457 

particular  thing  to  be  done  and  detail  to  be  looked  after 
is  in  charge  of  some  cell  or  crowd  of  cells. 

A  large  brain  or  head  does  not  necessarily  contain  any 
more  intelligence  than  a  small  one.  Take,  for  instance, 
the  brain  of  the  ant,  which  contains  but  a  few  cells.  Dar- 
win himself  states,  "It  is  the.  most  marvelous  atom  of 
matter  in  the  world,"  and  it  has  been  clearly  established 
that  the  ant  is  possessed  of  a  very  high  degree  of  intelli- 
gence. For  instance,  all  writers  seem  to  agree  that  they 
store  food  for  the  winter,  they  live  a  social  life  like  man ; 
they  build  complicated  nests  and  places  to  live  in ;  they 
carry  out  the  principle  of  division  of  labor;  they  adapt 
themselves  to  circumstances ;  they  capture  and  employ 
slaves;  they  confine  in  captivity  Aphides,  insects  which 
secrete  a  kind  of  honey  which  the  ant  uses  as  food.  They 
have  perfect  sense  organs  and  memory,  so  they  can 
recognize  and  remember  each  other.  They  are  emotional 
and  display  affection  for  their  young,  which  they  caress, 
tend  and  nurse.  They  can  communicate  with  each  other 
and  in  case  of  danger  and  difficulty,  they  consult  each 
other  and  agree  upon  certain  lines  of  action.  It  is  also 
shown  that  ants  gather  the  eggs  of  Aphides  and  treat 
them  just  like  their  own,  guarding  and  tending  them  with 
the  greatest  care.  The  Aphides  are  the  same  to  the  ants 
as  the  milch  cows  are  to  man.  And  in  a  manner  similar 
to  that  of  man  caring  for  his  domestic  animals,  ants  care 
for  these  Aphides.  They  even  make  covered  ways  be- 
tween their  houses  and  the  trees  and  plants  on  which  the 
Aphides  live.  They  gather  the  eggs  of  the  Aphides  in  the 
fall  and  protect  them  during  the  winter,  then  bring  them 
back  for  hatching  in  the  spring.  They  farm  the  Aphides 
in  precisely  the  same  manner  as  man  takes  care  of  his 
live  stock.  They  also  keep  other  insects,  such  as  gall 
insects,  caterpillars,  etc.,  and  in  many  cases,  when  neces- 


458     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

sary,  they  keep  their  insects  in  separate  stalls.  It  is  con- 
sidered a  common  thing  for  one  animal  to  capture  an- 
other for  food,  but  to  capture  another  and  keep  him  as  a 
slave  to  do  the  work  for  him  is  another  matter.  We 
recognize  our  own  mind  in  that  of  the  ant.  If  a  few  cells 
in  the  brain  of  the  ant  show  the  same  mind  and  intellect 
as  our  own,  why  is  not  every  cell  in  the  ant  also  intelli- 
gent? Why  is  not  every  cell  in  the  ant's  brain  endowed 
with  as  much  understanding  as  any  other  cell?  Bees 
also  are  skilled  workers — they  reason  in  the  same  manner 
as  man.  If,  at  the  beginning,  their  work  has  been  started 
wrong,  they  will  tear  it  all  down  and  change  the  part  so 
as  to  finally  fit  it  to  the  general  plan  preconceived.  They 
will  sometimes  modify  the  whole  structure  in  order  to 
meet  and  overcome  some  extraordinary  difficulty  to  be 
encountered  later  on.  I  have  not  space  to  describe  fur- 
ther the  intelligence  of  bees  and  ants  and  other  insects, 
but  they  have  been  lately  studied  and  there  is  beginning 
to  be  a  general  agreement  among  most  of  the  scientists 
that  such  insects  as  bees  and  ants  show  the  same  intellect 
as  man  possesses.  The  fact  that  the  brain  of  the  insect 
is  microscopic,  consisting  of  only  a  few  cells,  goes  to 
prove  without  question  that  the  cells,  wherever  found,  in 
plants,  in  the  brain  of  man  or  insect,  or  living  singly  in 
the  water,  are  the  same. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  go  into  any  details  in  reference 
to  the  intelligence  of  animals;  anyone  who  has  had  any 
experience  with  them  knows  that  they  reason  in  reference 
to  their  particular  business  in  life,  just  as  man  does. 
Goats  very  often  meet  on  very  narrow  mountain  ridges 
with  a  precipice  or  deep  gofge  on  each  side.  They  can- 
not pass  nor  can  they  retreat,  as  there  is  no  room  in  which 
to  turn  about.  Under  those  circumstances  the  goats  will 
stand  and  look  at  each  other  thoughtfully  for  some  time 


CONCLUSIONS 


459 


and  mentally  discuss  matters ;  then  one  of  the  goats  will 
kneel  and  lie  down  very  carefully  and  the  other  will  walk 
deliberately  over  him;  they  never  get  rattled  nor  lose 
their  head.  You  will  always  find,  however,  that  any 
species  of  animal  is  about  as  clever  as  any  other  in  the 
particular  line  of  business  which  concerns  its  existence, 


FIG.  53. — Beginning  of  civilization. — LITERARY  DIGEST. 

and  this  we  also  find  to  be  a  fact  in  the  cases  of  plants, 
cells,  and  also  of  man. 

Some  claim  that  particles  of  organic  matter  like  gravel, 
stone,  clay  and  other  substances  possess  consciousness, 
intellect,  memory  and  soul.  They  claim  there  can  be  no 
distinction  between  the  dead  and  the  living.  I  am  unable 
to  see  any  foundation  for  such  a  claim.  We  have  also  on 


460     CELL  INTELLIGENCE  THE  CAUSE  OF  EVOLUTION 

the  other  hand  those  who  claim  that  some  divine  power 
somewhere  not  only  made  all  living  things  but  also  guides 
their  actions  in  life.  I  can  see  no  foundation  for  such  a 
claim.  There  may  be  a  higher  power  in  charge  of  the 
universe,  or  there  may  be  intelligence  in  the  atoms  or  par- 
ticles of  dead  matter,  but  we  do  not  know, — we  can  only 
guess.  It  seems  just  as  likely,  if  not  more  so,  that  there  is 
a  separate  intelligent  and  invisible  something  in  the  uni- 
verse, which  is  able  to  direct,  organize  and  form  matter 
and  force  to  serve  its  own  purpose,  but  we  do  not  yet 
know. 

Phrase-making  and  abuse  of  language  in  order  to  mys- 
tify, cover  up  ignorance  or  pretend  to  be  clever  has  been 
the  common  practice  of  late  and  it  has  lead  to  nothing 
but  confusion.  Since  the  microscope  discovered  for  us 
that  a  plant  or  animal  was  a  colony  made  up  of  still 
smaller  animals,  it  seems  singular  to  me  that  we  should 
pay  no  attention  to  that  fact,  as  a  cause  of  the  plants'  ex- 
istence, but  still  insist  and  claim  that  either  some  other 
being  somewhere  in  the  universe  is  the  cause  and  builder 
of  the  plant  or  else  that  the  dead  matter  itself  is  the  cause. 
After  we  have  discovered  that  man  builds  skyscrapers 
and  -ships,  why  should  we  argue  that  the  bricks  and 
stones  alone  build  themselves  into  a  skyscraper  and  why 
should  others  ^gain  argue  that  a  divine  something  some- 
where in  the  universe  builds  the  skyscraper? 

We  have  discovered  the  builder  of  plants  and  animals ; 
we  know  who  he  is  and  what  he  looks  like.  Our  first 
investigation,  it  seems  to  me,  should  be  whether  or  not 
he  is  an  intelligent  being.  If  he  is  found  to  be  such,  then 
we  know  how  and  in  what  way  he  is  able  to  build  and 
produce  the  plants  and  animals  that  we  see.  I  believe 
that  we  can  truthfully  say  from  the  evidence  at  hand  that 
the  cell  is  a  conscious  and  intelligent  being  like  ourselves. 


Date  Due 


CAT.    NO.    23   233  Pf 


— 4, 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A  000  502  870  9 


Quevli,  Nels. 

Cell  intelligence 


QH581 

Q5c 

1917 


MEDICAL  SCIENCES  LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  IRVINE 
IRVINE,  CALIFORNIA  92664 


